A social butterfly is a very sociable person, the kind who brings any gathering to life. They make new friends easily, love meet-ups and parties, and manage to talk to almost everyone in a single evening. The phrase sounds friendly, sometimes slightly ironic: such a person talks to lots of people, but not for long with any of them.
When would you say a social butterfly?
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be a (real / bit of a) social butterfly; become a social butterfly
- My sister is a real social butterfly and knows almost everyone in her office.
- At the conference, Mark was a social butterfly, chatting with every group during the coffee breaks.
- I used to be shy, but at university I became a bit of a social butterfly.
What changed
First versionOlga is the soul of the company at every party.
RevisionOlga is a social butterfly at every party.
The soul of the company is not an English idiom. In English, company usually means a business, so the phrase sounds like the spirit of a firm. The right idiom is a social butterfly; another option, in British English, is the life and soul of the party.
A party animal loves parties and has fun until the early hours. A social butterfly is about talking to people, not about partying: they may leave early, but only after chatting with everyone. In an essay, use sociable or outgoing instead of the idiom: She is very outgoing.
Your turn
Ben goes to every party and talks to everyone he meets. He's a real social ___.
Show the answer
butterfly — Ben goes to every party and starts conversations with everyone, so he is a social butterfly. Bee may come to mind from busy bee, but that idiom describes someone who is always busy, and nobody says social bee in English.
Describe someone you know who could be called a social butterfly. Say where you usually see them and how they behave there.
My colleague Nina is a social butterfly: at every office party she moves from table to table and chats with everyone, even the new interns.
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