social engineering

[ soh-shuhl en-juh-neer-ing ]
See synonyms for social engineering on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Political Science. the manipulation of social beliefs and behaviors by public or private entities through legislation, policy, and investment.

  2. a technique that uses psychological manipulation, fraud, or dishonesty to force people to disclose private personal or corporate information, or to take a particular action:Hackers are using social engineering to perpetrate phishing scams.

Origin of social engineering

1
First recorded in 1895–1900

Other words from social engineering

  • so·cial en·gi·neer, noun

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British Dictionary definitions for social engineering

social engineering

noun
  1. the manipulation of the social position and function of individuals in order to manage change in a society

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012