sociable
gb/sˈoʊʃəbəl/ us/sˈoʊʃəbəl/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
friendly; enjoys being with people
friendly and likes being with other people
Usage pattern:
[someone] is sociable; sociable with [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse sociable (a person’s character) with social (connected to society or activities).
Synonyms
friendly (Emphasizes kindness and warmth, not necessarily loving crowds.)
|
outgoing (Often suggests confidence and ease meeting new people.)
|
gregarious (Stronger; suggests actively seeking lots of company.)
Antonyms
shy (Not comfortable meeting or talking to people.)
|
reserved (Keeps feelings and conversation private.)
|
unsociable (Not liking company or social interaction.)
Collocations
a sociable person
|a sociable guy
|a sociable child
|a sociable nature
|a sociable personality
|highly sociable
|naturally sociable
|very sociable
|sociable with strangers
|not very sociable
Themes
people
|personality
|relationships
|social_life
Examples
- She’s sociable and makes friends easily at new jobs.
- He can be quiet at first, but he’s very sociable once he relaxes.
- Our new neighbor is sociable and always stops to chat.
Learner examples
- My sister is very sociable.
- He isn’t sociable with strangers.
adjective
B2
property
2
encouraging social interaction
good for meeting and talking with people
Usage pattern:
a sociable [evening/occasion/atmosphere]; at sociable [times/hours]
Common mistake:
Sociable describes the situation or time as good for socializing; social is more general (e.g., social issues, social media).
Synonyms
social (More general; can mean relating to society or people interacting.)
|
convivial (Emphasizes cheerful, lively enjoyment together.)
Antonyms
unsociable (Not suitable for meeting or socializing (often used about hours or behavior).)
|
solitary (Meant for being alone rather than with others.)
Collocations
a sociable evening
|a sociable occasion
|a sociable atmosphere
|a sociable setting
|a sociable environment
|sociable seating
|a sociable meal
|sociable company
|sociable times
|sociable hours
Themes
social_life
|daily_life
|work
Examples
- The hotel lounge has a sociable atmosphere, so it’s easy to meet other travelers.
- They arranged the chairs in a more sociable way so everyone could talk.
- Let’s meet at a sociable time—I can’t do 6 a.m.
Learner examples
- It’s a sociable place to sit and talk.
Noun
informal
C1
event
3
a community social gathering
a friendly social event (often in a community)
Usage pattern:
a sociable; hold/host a sociable
Common mistake:
This noun use is much less common than the adjective; many speakers never use it.
Synonyms
social (Commoner term for a community get-together; less specific.)
|
get-together (Very general; does not suggest an organized community event.)
Antonyms
private gathering (Not open or community-oriented.)
Collocations
a church sociable
|a community sociable
|an annual sociable
|host a sociable
|hold a sociable
|a fundraising sociable
Themes
social_life
|community
Examples
- The church is hosting a sociable on Saturday night to raise money for the food bank.
- After the concert, the organizers invited everyone to a sociable in the hall.
- We met at the winter sociable and ended up talking for hours.
Learner examples
- They went to a sociable after the game.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sociable
IPA
GB/sˈoʊʃəbəl/
US/sˈoʊʃəbəl/
Syllables & stress
so - ci - able (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (so)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: sociable
Expressions
a sociable drink
1/ə sˈoʊʃəbəl dɹˈɪŋk/
fixed phrase
a drink mainly to chat
a drink with friends to talk
Examples
- We met for a sociable drink after work and caught up on everything.
- It was meant to be a sociable drink, but we ended up staying out late.
- They invited us over for a sociable drink before dinner.
be sociable
1/bˈi sˈoʊʃəbəl/
fixed phrase
act friendly; talk to people
to talk to people and be friendly
Examples
- Come on, be sociable—come and meet everyone.
- He tried to be sociable at the office party, but he left early.
- I’m too tired to be sociable tonight.
keep sociable hours
1/kˈip sˈoʊʃəbəl ˈaʊɚz/
fixed phrase
have a normal daily schedule
to have a normal schedule (not too late)
Examples
- Since switching jobs, she finally keeps sociable hours.
- It’s hard to see friends when you don’t keep sociable hours.
- He tries to keep sociable hours during the week.
sociable hours
1/sˈoʊʃəbəl ˈaʊɚz/
fixed phrase
normal, convenient times of day
times that aren’t too late or too early
Examples
- Can we talk tomorrow at sociable hours instead of 7 a.m.?
- I used to work nights, but now I work sociable hours.
- Please don’t call after midnight—call at sociable hours.