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soul music

American

noun

a fervent type of popular music developed in the late 1950s by Black Americans as a secularized form of gospel music, with rhythm-and-blues influences, and distinctive for its earthy expressiveness, variously plaintive or raucous vocals, and often passionate romanticism or sensuality.

Etymology

Origin of soul music

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In September, the AI singer Xania Monet, whose genre is R&B and soul music, became the first virtual artist to enter the bestselling charts in the United States.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

“Against the grain of bland modern R&B, D’Angelo preserved the Gospel essence of early soul music, mixing it with every other genre of Black music without ever leaving the church,” Leeds said in an Oct.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2025

Roberta Flack used her upbringing as a classically trained pianist to redefine the textural and emotional terms of modern soul music.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2025

The account owner is also a fan of soul music, with an entire playlist dedicated to the likes of Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin.

From Slate • Jul. 19, 2024

They were laughter on hot city nights hot milk on cold city mornings, good food and good times fancy dancing and soul music.

From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023