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Synonyms

soul-searching

American  
[sohl-sur-ching] / ˈsoʊlˌsɜr tʃɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or process of close and penetrating analysis of oneself, to determine one's true motives and sentiments.

soul-searching British  

noun

  1. deep or critical examination of one's motives, actions, beliefs, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. displaying the characteristics of deep or painful self-analysis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of soul-searching

First recorded in 1605–15

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.

Countries will be trying to make sense of the daring U.S. raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, prompting a lot of geopolitical soul-searching this week.

From Barron's

There will likely have been some soul-searching and in-depth analysis in the past days as a consequence.

From BBC

After your friend has sold the car, he has some soul-searching to do.

From MarketWatch

When one loses, it leads to some deep soul-searching and a focus on what can be improved - particularly when they next meet each other.

From BBC

Newcastle's dismal 3-1 defeat at lowly West Ham on Sunday left the Magpies languishing in 13th place in the Premier League and prompted a painful bout of soul-searching on Tyneside.

From Barron's

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.