soulful

[ sohl-fuhl ]

/ ˈsoʊl fəl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for soulful on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or expressive of deep feeling or emotion: soulful eyes.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of soulful

First recorded in 1860–65; soul + -ful

OTHER WORDS FROM soulful

soul·ful·ly, adverbsoul·ful·ness, nounun·soul·ful, adjectiveun·soul·ful·ly, adverb

un·soul·ful·ness, noun

Words nearby soulful

soul, soul brother, soul cake, soul-destroying, soul food, soulful, soul-kiss, soulless, soul mate, soul music, soul-searching

How to use soulful in a sentence

It doesn’t lack soul because it doesn’t aim to express soulful things.
Seeing Jasper Johns: Blockbuster exhibition reveals a brilliant but bleak legacy|Philip Kennicott|September 29, 2021|Washington Post
She was expected to accept that her father, a Civil War veteran whose PTSD triggered severe alcoholism, should be cast out of polite society, but when he was sober he was the sole parent with whom she felt a soulful connection.
There Is a Better Way to Use Power at Work. This Forgotten Business Guru Has the Secrets|Matthew Barzun|June 15, 2021|Time
Two years after her husband’s death, Lisey remains unmoored, living in a posh farmhouse cluttered with boxes of his detritus and taking soulful dips in the property’s strange, pond-like pool.
Stephen King Adaptation Lisey's Story Is Mawkish, Dull and Too Long by Half|Judy Berman|June 4, 2021|Time
The songs are all co-produced by Jesse Frasure, Eden’s longtime collaborator that she knew could expertly tap into the “retro soulful country sound” she wanted in her new music.
Country singer Brooke Eden was told to hide her relationship to keep her career. She’s done staying quiet.|Emily Yahr|March 5, 2021|Washington Post

But not all of us can put our feelings into a catchy and soulful song.
The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Taylor Swift in Your Life|Allison McNearney|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her voice, booming and soulful, capturing the attention of every ear in the theater, confirms what she is capable of.
The Swedish Queen of Soulful Pop: Mapei Won’t Wait for You to Listen|Caitlin Dickson|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Get past the fauxhawk, and you find soulful eyes and a bright thin-lipped smile that say, “You can trust me.”
The Bachelor Farmville: No One Wants to Watch Chris Soules Plant His Seed|Brandy Zadrozny|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Oscarologists are campaigning for the actor to get a nod for his soulful, steady breakout turn.
‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Star Oscar Isaac Is About to Be a Very Big Deal|Kevin Fallon|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Supermodel Chrissy Teigen married soulful singer John Legend during a ceremony in Italy over the weekend.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Chrissy Teigen Weds John Legend|Anna Klassen|September 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I shall watch with what Quentina would call soulful, hungry eyes.
The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch|Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
Far and wide over that mighty throng the pontiff threw his voice, clear as a trumpet, yet musical and soulful.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
From these two soulful, tender stories, we pass to one not less pathetic and an even more profound psychological study.
The History of Yiddish Literature in the Nineteenth Century|Leo Wiener
One belongs to the mechanical side of piano playing, while the other appertains to the ideal, the poetic, the soulful.
Piano Mastery|Harriette Brower
He would use instead the third, a "warm finger," to give out a soulful melody.
Piano Mastery|Harriette Brower

British Dictionary definitions for soulful

soulful

/ (ˈsəʊlfʊl) /

adjective

sometimes ironic expressing profound thoughts or feelingssoulful music

Derived forms of soulful

soulfully, adverbsoulfulness, noun

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

soulful

Origin of soulful

OTHER WORDS FROM soulful

Words nearby soulful

Words related to soulful

How to use soulful in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for soulful

Derived forms of soulful