the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.
the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come.
arguing the immortality of the soul.
the disembodied spirit of a deceased person.
He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him.
the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments.
a human being; person.
high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc.
the animating principle; the essential element or part of something.
the inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc.
the embodiment of some quality.
He was the very soul of tact.
(initial capital letter) God; the divine source of all identity and individuality.
shared ethnic awareness and pride among Black people, especially Black Americans.
deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist.
the spirit or immaterial part of man, the seat of human personality, intellect, will, and emotions, regarded as an entity that survives the body after death
Christianity the spiritual part of a person, capable of redemption from the power of sin through divine grace
the essential part or fundamental nature of anything
a person's feelings or moral nature as distinct from other faculties
Also called: soul music. a type of Black music resulting from the addition of jazz, gospel, and pop elements to the urban blues style
( as modifier )
a soul singer
(modifier) of or relating to Black Americans and their culture
soul brother
soul food
nobility of spirit or temperament
a man of great soul and courage
an inspiring spirit or leading figure, as of a cause or movement
a person regarded as typifying some characteristic or quality
the soul of discretion
a person; individual
an honest soul
See life
an exclamation of surprise
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sāwl, sāwol; cognate with Dutch ziel, German Seele, Old Norse sāl, Gothic saiwala
The noun soul can mean an individual human being, but it can also mean essence of a human being. If you believe the soul is immortal, you believe that even when your physical body dies, some other part of you lives on. Soul shows up in various forms in all Nordic and Germanic languages, but no one knows where it originated, just like the whole idea of the soul. Philosophers and theologians have debated the exact definition of soul for ages, but it always stands for that ineffable part of a human unlimited by the body, the grandest, deepest part. Soul music is a popular form of gospel, and if you "have soul," you really feel what it is to be alive.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She claims to inhabit the soul of Albert Camus, and flings around aphorisms about art that fly over Cricket’s head.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Another beautiful soul to wonder at, and fall in love with, God’s beautiful creation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
His wife had even begun to offer last rite prayers for his soul, she told AFP at the hospital in the capital Kathmandu, where he is recovering from "some frostbite" but is conscious.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
A range of acts from folk, trad and jazz to hiphop, soul and experimental sounds were all set to take to the stage.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
But it was still All Hallows’ Eve, every door willing to receive his soul.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
