lost soul

[lawst sohl, lost]

noun

1. a person who seems to lack direction or a sense of belonging in life.

   He was described as a "lost soul" who was estranged from his family and fell into crime.

   The film focuses on four lost souls: a disgraced TV anchor, a rebellious teen, an isolated single mom, and a self-absorbed music nerd.

2. a person on the way to hell or perdition.

   Their preaching focused on bringing lost souls to repentance through God's love.

3. the damned soul or restless spirit of a dead person.

   Ghosts are spirits who cannot reincarnate again, and are miserable lost souls.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lost soul¹

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

“They look like something out of a Cervantes novel…they have this lost soul thing.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He was described in court as a "lost soul" and an "eccentric fantasist" who believed he could manage Arsenal football club or even England.

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He was rescued by Louise Wilson, of Conservation K9 Consultancy in Wrexham, at eight months old when he was a "lost soul" struggling to find a home.

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But her heart isn’t in her work and for reasons we never buy, she takes pity on Doyle, recognizing in him a “lost soul.”

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But then you hear sirens wailing, horns honking angrily or a lost soul on the street yelling profanities to no one in particular, and you’re jolted for a second back to reality.

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