Possessive forms for “society”

Understanding the possessives of “society” can be straightforward once you know the rules. Let’s break it down:

Singular: “Society” remains singular.
Plural: “Societies” is the standard plural form.
Singular Possessive: “Society’s” shows possession for singular instances.
Plural Possessive: “Societies’” indicates possession for plural instances.

When forming the plural, since “society” ends with a “y,” you change it to “ies” for the plural form. Here are examples of each form in context:

Singular: Many believe that our society must take care of the vulnerable.
Plural: The economic crisis has affected societies worldwide.
Singular Possessive: One of society’s responsibilities is to provide healthcare to its citizens.
Plural Possessive: Societies’ standards of healthcare provision vary from country to county.

Using the wrong form can make your writing seem less polished. For a detailed understanding, continue reading where we explain each form in more depth.

Society’s

This is the singular possessive form, indicating something belonging to one society. It’s often used to represent a country’s customs or an organization’s attributes:

British society’s etiquette and customs are based on historical precedents.
The African Medical Society’s annual conference will be on December 10th.

Societies’

This is the plural possessive form, indicating something belonging to multiple societies. It can refer to shared attributes among societies or organizations:

One of the societies’ biggest sins worldwide is that deaths from hunger could be avoided in most cases.
All the respective societies’ representatives were at the medical conference.