1 [mass noun] the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community:drugs, crime, and other dangers to society
the community of people living in a particular country or region and having shared customs, laws, and organizations:the ethnic diversity of British society [count noun]:modern industrial societies
[with adjective] a specified section of society:no one in polite society uttered the word
(also high society) the aggregate of people who are fashionable, wealthy, and influential, regarded as forming a distinct group in a community: [as modifier]:a society wedding
[count noun] a plant or animal community:the analogy between insect society and human city is not new
2an organization or club formed for a particular purpose or activity: [in names]:the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
3 [mass noun] the situation of being in the company of other people:she shunned the society of others