social science

 Danny Blas, who teaches middle school history and social science at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, is excited to see his students again.

— Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Excited and stressed, San Diego’s educators prepare for first day of in-person school Monday," 11 Apr. 2021By the end of the program, inmates will have earned a bachelor of liberal arts with a focus in one of three majors: cultural humanities, interdisciplinary social science or global intellectual history.— Alaa Elassar, CNN, "Maryland inmates can now earn a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University," 10 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'social science.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of social science

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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The first known use of social science was in 1746

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Dictionary Entries near social science

social psychology

social realism

social registerite

social science

social secretary

social security

Social Security number

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Statistics for social science

Last Updated

20 May 2021

Look-up Popularity

Top 3% of words

Cite this Entry

“Social science.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20science. Accessed 1 Jun. 2021.

Style: MLA

More Definitions for social science

social science

 noun

English Language Learners Definition of social science

: the study of human society

: a particular area of study that relates to human behavior and society

See the full definition for social science in the English Language Learners Dictionary

social science

 noun

Medical Definition of social science

1: a branch of science that deals with the institutions and functioning of human society and with the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society

2: a science (as anthropology or social psychology) dealing with a particular phase or aspect of human society

More from Merriam-Webster on social science

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about social science

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