In the absence of agreement about its meaning, the term "social" is used in many different senses and regarded as a fuzzy concept, referring among other things to:

Attitudes, orientations, or behaviors which take the interests, intentions, or needs of other people into account (in contrast to anti-social behaviour) has played some role in defining the idea or the principle. For instance terms like social realism, social justice, social constructivism, social psychology, social anarchism and social capital imply that there is some social process involved or considered, a process that is not there in regular, "non-social" realism, justice, constructivism, psychology, or capital.

The adjective "social" is also used often in political discourse, although its meaning in a context depends heavily on who is using it. In left-wing circles it is often used to imply a liberal characteristic, while in right-wing circles it is generally used to imply a conservative characteristic. It should also be noted that, overall, this adjective is used much more often by those on the political left than by those on the political right. For these reasons, those seeking to avoid association with the left-right political debates often seek to label their work with phrases that do not include the word "social". An example is quasi-empiricism in mathematics which is sometimes labelled social constructivism by those who see it as an unwarranted intrusion of social considerations in mathematical practice.

adjective 1. of or relating to society or its organization. "alcoholism is recognized as a major social problem" synonyms: communal, community, collective, group, general, popular, civil, public, societal "a major social problem" antonyms: individual of or relating to rank and status in society. "a recent analysis of social class in Britain" needing companionship and therefore best suited to living in communities. "we are social beings as well as individuals" relating to or designed for activities in which people meet each other for pleasure. "Guy led a full social life" synonyms: recreational, leisure, entertainment, amusement "a social club" 2. ZOOLOGY (of a bird) gregarious; breeding or nesting in colonies. synonyms: gregarious, interactional; organized "a uniquely social animal" (of an insect) living together in organized communities, typically with different castes, as ants, bees, wasps, and termites do. (of a mammal) living together in groups, typically in a hierarchical system with complex communication. noun noun: social; plural noun: socials 1. an informal social gathering, especially one organized by the members of a particular club or group. "a church social" synonyms: party, gathering, function, get-together, soirée;