How to Use societal in a Sentence

societal

adjective
Definition of societalnext
  • The horror genre can be a handy metaphor for all sorts of societal ills.
    — Dallas News, 22 Feb. 2023
  • The last time a gadget raised these sorts of societal questions was in 2013 with Google Glass.
    — Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024
  • Vance said the issue is a societal one that has been ingrained for at least 50 years.
    — Breccan F. Thies, Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Bass, in her speech, said there is societal cost to leaving people on the street.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
  • The third looks at the tumbling global birthrate and hard societal choices ahead.
    — Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
  • But in spite of the emotions or societal pressures to keep silent, Schumer revealed that the PA spoke up right away.
    — William Earl, Variety, 2 May 2024
  • Goldfarb: Julia was a great way to talk about all these societal changes taking place in the ’60s.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
  • But like many a flip statement that strikes a deep societal nerve, the toast comment took off for a reason.
    — Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Media outlets fanned the flames of fear with tales of bad trips and societal breakdown.
    — Milan Kordestani, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2024
  • This will not solve any of the economic and societal problems that this study outlines.
    — Mira Cheng, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
  • There is no hiding from the societal shame of Pecola’s story.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
  • The societal make-up of Sweden has changed dramatically since the City Hall was built 100 years ago.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Nov. 2023
  • There’s a whole host of societal and economic forces that conspire to maintain the status quo.
    — James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2023
  • So don’t be pushed around by societal narratives of what the ultimate good looks like.
    — Sigal Samuel, Vox, 3 Nov. 2024
  • Plenty of women deal with it, and there are a lot of societal standards for what is a beautiful size on a woman.
    — Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2022
  • That inclination to turn away, of course, is one of the reasons that many of these societal problems endure.
    — Joan Gaylord, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2022
  • Tea eventually spread to the societal elite, and finally to the masses.
    — Megan Zhang, Saveur, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Some lament this as a symptom of societal decline; others celebrate it as a mark of progress.
    — Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2022
  • Reason for Ranking: Can an episode that ends with societal collapse be sweet?
    — Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
  • That idea of feeling stuck, of not being able to have an impact, can be applied to so many societal issues — but perhaps this one most of all.
    — Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 June 2024
  • At the start of any relationship, people tend to conform to societal norms.
    — Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2022
  • The film is a realistic portrayal of troubles that people faced at the time, and also highlights the societal flaws of casteism.
    — Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2023
  • Chinese women attribute this to societal norms that expect young men to own a home or have made a down payment before tying the knot.
    — Monica Liu, The Conversation, 4 Oct. 2023
  • On the day of her accession to the Throne, Great Britain continued to suffer the economic and societal aftershocks of world war.
    — Town & Country, 19 Sep. 2022
  • One of the biggest societal traditions highlighted in Bridgerton is that of the coming-out ball.
    — Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 18 May 2024
  • While many love to break societal norms and partake in the festivities, some are skeptical of the tradition.
    — Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
  • In a world where men are wrestling with societal expectations, Ferebee's story serves as a beacon of hope.
    — Jon Stogan, USA TODAY, 30 May 2023
  • Altman and his team say that working and releasing cutting-edge products is the way to address societal risks.
    — Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2023
  • The boom in doll production, meanwhile, was new—the product of a number of societal factors glomming together in the 1800s.
    — Maria Teresa Hart, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2022
  • Moldova was a republic in the Soviet Union, and its people forged deep societal ties with Russia that continue to this day.
    — Byandra Timu, Fortune Europe, 4 Nov. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'societal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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