lost soul
Americannoun
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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.
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a person on the way to hell or perdition.
Their preaching focused on bringing lost souls to repentance through God's love.
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the damned soul or restless spirit of a dead person.
Ghosts are spirits who cannot reincarnate again, and are miserable lost souls.
Etymology
Origin of lost soul
First recorded in 1640–50
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.
He strikes up an unlikely bond with Israeli passenger Amir, a lost soul in his early 20s played by Ido Tako, which leads Hassan to reflect on roads not taken in his own life.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
You don’t want to end up like this lost soul, lugging his giant gambles through the hellscape of his own mind:
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
We, as audience members-turned-actors, are on the hunt for a lost soul — a soul himself who has to rediscover who he is.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2024
The real magic, however, is the giddiness sparkling around Terence Mann who starts as a lost soul and ends the film believing in magic again, simply by touching the edge of a cornfield.
From Salon • Sep. 12, 2024
Ralph could hear himself telling this story to some lost soul in a diner.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
