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social determinism

Definition of Social Determinism

(noun) A theory stating that all social phenomena are determined by external factors such as institutions or norms.

Social Determinism Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: so·cial de·ter·min·ism

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /sOH-shuhl di-tUHR-muh-niz-uhm/
  • British English – /sOH-shuhl di-tUHR-mi-ni-zuhm/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈsoʊʃəl dɪˈtɜrməˌnɪzəm/
  • British English – /ˈsəʊʃəl dɪˈtɜːmɪnɪzm/

Usage Notes

Additional Information

Related Terms


Cite the Definition of Social Determinism

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “social determinism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

social determinism. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “social determinism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“social determinism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/social-determinism/>.