Sociology Vocabulary: Top 100 Glossary Of Terms To Know

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When studying a particular subject, it’s important to learn the vocabulary associated with it. If you want to be a chef, you need to learn words related to the kitchen and cooking. If you want to be a manager, you need to learn Business English and the language to manage meetings and projects.

Sociology is no different. If you learn the key vocabulary first, it’s much easier to understand ideas, which would otherwise be difficult to grasp! Remember, when learning vocabulary, everything depends on the context. Some of the words below have several meanings, but here we’re focusing on the meaning within the world of Sociology.

In this article, you’ll learn some key words and expressions that you can find when you start studying Sociology. Learn the words and your level of comprehension and communication will automatically improve.

So, let’s start learning English online!

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Whether you wish to take the IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL, CAE, FCE, BRIDGE, BULATS (Linguaskill) or even the BRIGHT ENGLISH, you need to enhance your English vocabulary in order to prepare for your test. We have have made a long list of vocabulary worksheets:

What Is Sociology and What Does It Aim to Do?

Sociology is the study of individuals, communities and global trends to see how they are related and connected. The idea is that by understanding how attitudes and behaviours are formed, you can understand better how a society works and then compare different societies. People who study Sociology can work in Marketing and Human Resources, join the Police, teach and much more. For a lot of Sociology texts, the main language is English which can make life complicated for non-English speakers. But don’t panic – GlobalExam is here to help! Although the terms can seem intimidating, by learning them you’ll find those Sociology articles much easier to understand.

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Is Learning Vocabulary A Difficult Thing To Do?

That’s true – but when learning a language, improving your vocabulary is fundamental. The key isn’t learning all the words, but focusing on the ones which are used the most. This is why GlobalExam doesn’t only provide exercises on grammar, but vocabulary as well. Before we move onto the expressions themselves, here are a few tips to help you:

When learning vocabulary, try to study only in your target language. If you want to improve, use your target language as much as possible when studying.
Instead of studying 100 words in a block, memorize the vocabulary in sections. Here we’ve split the words into blocks of 20.
Highlight the words you already know first. Then study the other words. Suddenly 20 words become 15.

Sociology Vocabulary: Glossary of 100 Most Common Words

Word	Definition
Ageism	Discrimination against elderly people
Analysis	A close examination of a situation
Artificial intelligence	A computer trying to imitate human thoughts and behaviour
Behaviour	A reaction to a social situation.
Birth rate	The number of people born in a period of time.
Bourgeoisie	Dominant middle class.
Civil partnership	A legal recognition of a relationship between two people. Similar to a marriage.
Class system	How society is divided with relation to economic and social status.
Communism	An ideology without social classes. Seen as the opposite of Capitalism.
Conceptualise	To mentally create an idea of something.
Consequences	Results of an action.
Consumer Culture	The trend of buying items to be happy.
Context	The situation in which an action takes place.
Criminology	The study of crime in society.
Critique	Similar to assessment or review.
Cult	A small religious group, which is often strange or extreme.
Cultural	Relating to a specific group and its beliefs / ideas.
Death rate	The number of people who die in a period of time.
Denomination	Referring to a particular religious group.
Determinism	The idea that your actions are dictated by situations so you're not free to choose what you'd like to do.
Words 21-40
Deviance	How much a statistical model is different from a more complete one.
Discrimination	Behave in an unfair way with a certain person or group.
Dominant	Something which is more influential or noticeable.
Economy	The social system which manages money and resources.
Emphasise	To point attention to a particular point.
Empirical	An argument which uses practical evidence rather than theoretical ideas.
Ethnicity	To be part of a specific ethnic group.
Extended family	When a family includes uncles, aunts, grandparents, etc.
External factors	Issues outside of the school which influence behaviour.
Feminism	The belief that women should have the same opportunities and influence as men.
Fertility rate	Measuring the number of children a woman gives birth to.
Field experiment	An experiment which happens in a real environment.
Gender Gap	The difference in abilities or beliefs for males and females.
Gender norms	Expected behaviour based on your sex.
Gender roles	Expected social position based on your sex.
Globalization	An international economic model influenced by multinational companies.
Ideology	A set of beliefs.
Individual	One person.
Industrialised	An adjective to describe a place with many companies and industries.
Instrumental role	A main influence in a situation.
Words 41-60
Interdependence	When several groups or things depend on one another.
Internal factors	Situations within a school which can influence a student.
Invariant	Something which doesn't change.
Issues	Problems, questions.
Labelling	Believing someone's behaviour and beliefs are defined by their gender, ethnicity, etc.
Limitations	Restrictions.
Longitudinal studies	Research which is done over a long time period.
Marxism	A political belief system created by Karl Marx.
Mass culture	Culture created by mass media.
Mass media	Press, television, internet which provide information to the general public.
Material deprivation	When you can't afford basic resources.
Matrifocal household	A home where the mother is the decision-maker.
Methodology	An approach or technique.
Migration	The movement of people from one area / country to another.
Movement	A group of people who have similar ideas and beliefs.
Multiculturalism	When different groups are all treated in a fair way.
Multidimensional	With more than one dimension.
Normative	Giving one set of rules.
Norm	A situation which is common and expected.
Nuclear family	A family with a mother, father and two children.
Words 61-80
Outline	A general explanation.
Patriarchy	A male-dominated society.
Peer group	People of a similar age or social position.
Perspective	View, belief.
Positivism	Accept things only if you can see or prove them.
Prevention	A policy to avoid something negative happening.
Privatisation	To make a state-owned company privately-owned.
Psychology	Studying the mind to understand individual behaviour.
Qualitative research	Research based on interviews and observation.
Quantitative research	Research which focuses on data.
Racism	Discrimination based on someone's skin colour.
Radical	Extreme.
Randomisation	Study done with no predictable order in the groups.
Research methods	Ways used to prove an idea.
Sect	A group of people who have similar ideas and beliefs.
Secularization	When a society becomes less identified with a religion.
Social	To be part of a community.
Social class	People with the same social and economic situation.
Social surveys	Questionnaires used for research.
Socialise	To mix with people in a community.
Words 81-100
Sociological	Related to sociology.
Statistics	Numerical data to support ideas.
Status Symbol	An object which increases your standing in society.
Stereotype	A social cliché.
Stratification	Dividing into different levels.
Streaming	A method to divide classes in schools by ability.
Structure	The idea that the different parts of society are connected.
Structuralism	The idea you need to look at a social system to understand behaviour.
Subcultures	A culture within a culture.
Symmetrical family	A family where adults have equal responsibility.
Synonymous with	Closely linked to.
Theorist	A person who states a theory, method.
Toxic childhood	How 21st century technology damages children.
Trends	Tendencies within society.
Underclass	People at the bottom of the social system.
Understanding	Comprehension.
Urbanization	When people move from the country to the cities.
Violence	Physical aggression.
Vocational	Something with a specific job in mind.
Welfare	Government support to help with health and finance issues.

Learn English Online with GlobalExam’s E-Learning Platform

Even if English isn’t your native language, you can still do university-level studies in English or find a qualification you want to study for, but it only exists in English. You generally need a B2/C1 level to be able to do this, and this is where GlobalExam can help! You can train for internationally recognised tests, such as IELTS and TOEIC, with lessons which don’t only focus on the test, but also on grammar and vocabulary. You can improve your General English or you can focus on Business English. Our goal is to give you a tool which is flexible and can be used anywhere, making learning English easy no matter where you are. On the website you can find articles presenting different skills and needs, as well as vocabulary sheets to download. With GlobalExam, your learning can fit in around your schedule. Plus, you can track your progress and see where you need to work more. You can even start your training for free.

Although specific vocabulary can seem overwhelming, by starting with the common expressions and phrases, consolidating that with some grammar work, you’ll be up-and-running in no time!