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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.

There will be questions and soul-searching about these horrifying disclosures in the weeks, months and years to come.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Indeed, such has been the level of contemplation regarding Frank's immediate future at Tottenham in recent weeks that this loss will almost certainly trigger further soul-searching from the club's leadership group.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

England head to India to launch their World Cup campaign with momentum at their backs, while Sri Lanka have plenty of soul-searching to do with their frailties against spin brutally exposed.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Hellerstein’s friend and former law partner, Joel Cohen, said the judge wouldn’t have decided to stay on the case without his usual soul-searching.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

As you can probably tell, after a lot of soul-searching I decided to give up my short experiment with being a vegetarian.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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.