soul
Americannoun
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the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.
- Synonyms:
- spirit
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the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come.
arguing the immortality of the soul.
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the disembodied spirit of a deceased person.
He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him.
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the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments.
- Synonyms:
- heart
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a human being; person.
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high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc.
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the animating principle; the essential element or part of something.
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the inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc.
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the embodiment of some quality.
He was the very soul of tact.
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(initial capital letter) God; the divine source of all identity and individuality.
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shared ethnic awareness and pride among Black people, especially Black Americans.
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deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist.
adjective
noun
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the spirit or immaterial part of man, the seat of human personality, intellect, will, and emotions, regarded as an entity that survives the body after death
-
Christianity the spiritual part of a person, capable of redemption from the power of sin through divine grace
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the essential part or fundamental nature of anything
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a person's feelings or moral nature as distinct from other faculties
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Also called: soul music. a type of Black music resulting from the addition of jazz, gospel, and pop elements to the urban blues style
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( as modifier )
a soul singer
-
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(modifier) of or relating to Black Americans and their culture
soul brother
soul food
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nobility of spirit or temperament
a man of great soul and courage
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an inspiring spirit or leading figure, as of a cause or movement
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a person regarded as typifying some characteristic or quality
the soul of discretion
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a person; individual
an honest soul
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See life
-
an exclamation of surprise
noun
Other Word Forms
- soul-like adjective
- soullike adjective
- undersoul noun
Etymology
Origin of soul
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sāwl, sāwol; cognate with Dutch ziel, German Seele, Old Norse sāl, Gothic saiwala
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.
The population of Papay – some 75 souls – joined the search, including David Kew who was three months into his film shoot.
From BBC
However, critics online say animation like that of Fruit Love Island has "no soul" and is not worth the potential negative impacts AI could have on the world.
From BBC
As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.
From Salon
“All of us will be challenged to be able to define what real creativity actually means and how we can protect the role of creative artists,” Grainge said, “human beings with original ideas and soul.”
The film opens with a quote from Mary Shelley: “There is something at work in my soul which I do not understand.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
