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secondary group

Definition of Secondary Group

(noun) An impersonal group that is task oriented and interactions are typically formal, based on roles and statuses.

Examples of Secondary Group

  • club members
  • co-workers

Secondary Group Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: sec·ond·ar·y group

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /sEk-uhn-dair-ee grOOp/
  • British English – /sE-kuhn-duh-ree grOOp/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈsɛkənˌdɛri grup/
  • British English – /ˈsɛkəndəri gruːp/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: secondary groups
  • A secondary group is contrasted to a primary group.

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Additional Information

Related Terms

Works Consulted

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Cite the Definition of Secondary Group

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “secondary group.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 4, 2022 (https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

secondary group. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “secondary group.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 4, 2022. https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“secondary group.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 4 Oct. 2022. <https://sociologydictionary.org/secondary-group/>.