How to Use societal in a Sentence

societal

adjective
  • What were the forces that work on their lives, on a societal scale.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
  • The horror genre can be a handy metaphor for all sorts of societal ills.
    — Dallas News, 22 Feb. 2023
  • Try to let go of societal pressure.
    — Alex Vance, Parents, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Maybe the fear of all that societal scrutiny is just too much.
    — Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Maybe the fear of all that societal scrutiny is just too much.
    — Anita Chabria, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
  • Broader societal shifts might be at play.
    — ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Broader societal shifts might be at play.
    — Moriah Balingit, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Which ages and economic or societal groups each get how much and why?
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Gregg Popovich has been unafraid to call for societal change.
    — Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2022
  • Bass, in her speech, said there is societal cost to leaving people on the street.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
  • Schools have long been a battle ground for contentious societal ideas.
    — Chelsea Sheasley, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2021
  • And although societal norms have changed, the size of our apartments hasn’t.
    — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 15 July 2021
  • Change also needs to come at a societal level.
    — Christina Balderrama-Durbin, The Conversation, 22 June 2026
  • So does societal action against plagues.
    — David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
  • There are no easy fixes to these societal maladies.
    — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
  • But the real drive to lose weight is the societal stigma around this organ.
    — Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2025
  • And there is a real societal cost to our missteps and failure.
    — Bryanna Carter, sun-sentinel.com, 4 Nov. 2021
  • Media outlets fanned the flames of fear with tales of bad trips and societal breakdown.
    — Milan Kordestani, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2024
  • Brands and employers can play a role at the societal level too!
    — Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2025
  • The pandemic laid bare the speed at which societal change can occur when the threat is big enough.
    — Ekemini Uwan, The Atlantic, 14 July 2021
  • The truth is that societal timelines are often more about commerce than care.
    — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The third looks at the tumbling global birthrate and hard societal choices ahead.
    — Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 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
  • She’s used to female characters who refuse to adapt to societal norms.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 18 July 2025
  • 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
  • There are actual societal stakes at play.
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
  • There are actual societal stakes at play.
    — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Two others shared the award for creating a way to study these types of societal issues.
    — NBC News, 11 Oct. 2021
  • The citywide churn of vacancy chains is a societal good in and of itself.
    — Henry Grabar, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
  • This finding means that ancient humans built the pool at a time of major societal change.
    — Livia Gershon, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2021

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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