Sociological

How to spell sociological

12 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce sociological

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sociological mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the study of society, social relationships, and human group behaviour.

Sociological in a sentence

• The report drew on sociological data about urban poverty.

• Her thesis took a sociological approach to family breakdown.

Where does sociological come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin socius, which literally meant a companion, partner, or ally. In the nineteenth century the French philosopher Auguste Comte coined sociologie to name the new science of society, fusing that Latin socius with the Greek logos, meaning 'word, reason, or study'. English borrowed the noun as 'sociology', and 'sociological' is the adjective formed from it with the familiar -ical ending. The hybrid origin (Latin root, Greek suffix) is the source of the spelling trap: the word starts with the soft 'soci-' that sounds like 'so-shee', then runs through the unstressed 'o' of -ology. The same socius root survives in everyday words like 'social', 'society', and 'associate', which can help anchor the opening letters.

How the word is built

• soci- (from socius: companion, ally)
• -ology (study of, from Greek logos)
• -ical (adjective suffix)