social contract
noun
: an actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each
Examples of social contract in a Sentence
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The beauty of that period is that there is a culture of the gentleman, with a certain kind of sartorial, social contract where you’re almost obliged to be elegant.
—
Mark Holgate, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
This vision—rooted in economic nationalism and the rhetoric of an industrial-era social contract—stands in stark contrast to the techno-libertarian accelerationism of another key Trump ally.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
By codifying this new social contract into a long-overdue constitutional document, Israelis can also protect the country from future threats to Israeli democracy.
—Yohanan Plesner, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2023
There’s a precious social contract to watching previews, one critical to the larger moviegoing experience.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for social contract
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Mark Holgate, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
This vision—rooted in economic nationalism and the rhetoric of an industrial-era social contract—stands in stark contrast to the techno-libertarian accelerationism of another key Trump ally.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
By codifying this new social contract into a long-overdue constitutional document, Israelis can also protect the country from future threats to Israeli democracy.
—Yohanan Plesner, Foreign Affairs, 19 Dec. 2023
There’s a precious social contract to watching previews, one critical to the larger moviegoing experience.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for social contract
Cite this Entry
“Social contract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20contract. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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