soulful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- soulfully adverb
- soulfulness noun
- unsoulful adjective
- unsoulfully adverb
- unsoulfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of soulful
Explanation
The adjective soulful is used to describe things that express strong emotion, especially a kind of sadness or tenderness. You might enjoy soulful poetry — or you might just find it corny. If you meet a sad-looking dog with big, soulful eyes at your local animal shelter, you'll have a hard time not taking him home with you. Those soulful eyes might seem to be saying, "You are the companion I've been waiting for all my life." (Although they might actually be saying, "Mmm, you smell like bacon.") This adjective is also good for describing music that moves you deeply.
Vocabulary lists containing soulful
"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
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Road Home
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Betty Before X
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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.
It’s a faithful facsimile—with a singular ingredient absent: the soulful performance of Al Pacino in the central role of the hapless bank robber Sonny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Around 163 million people tuned in to last year's contest, which offered songs ranging from ebullient bangers to soulful ballads.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
It can turn a rancorous conversation into a more soulful and forgiving one.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026
“A lot of Act 1 was you, Maddie,” says Shi, “where he’s feeling soulful and lonely. I love that. Yearning, watching the stars. I feel like that’s probably from your own childhood.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
Deborah had big, soulful brown eyes that could light the whole world.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
