soul-searching
Americannoun
noun
adjective
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.
Looking back, he gained a foothold in mainstream politics only because of the humiliating defeat of Kamala Harris, and the soul-searching that followed.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
There’s no point in engaging with a debt-management company in order to get rid of this $35,000 if you don’t do some serious soul-searching about how you got into this hole in the first place.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
If the defeat is confirmed, then the party in Wales is likely to undergo a period of soul-searching, lesson-learning and an attempt to find a new direction to win back voters.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
Less obvious from the headlines, war causes soul-searching among our troops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
An electronic river of true pain had sprung up in that period of national soul-searching, far deeper than I’d imagined, and it was wrenching to have so much of it run literally through my fingers.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
