soulful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
But its heart remains in the right place, thanks to McConaughey’s raw, soulful performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Helmed by Barbara Burrell, Sky’s Gourmet Tacos helped pioneer a soulful approach to Mexican food that has since spread to Black-owned restaurants across Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Building on the creative strides of “Hackney Diamonds,” their 24th studio effort, “Foreign Tongues” oozes with soulful R&B and high-octane rock.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Test pilot Chuck Yeager, played by Sam Shepard at his soulful best, embodies older ways as the modern world rockets ever upward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
“Such big, dark, soulful eyes,” she says slowly in her thick accent, like she’s making a meal of each word.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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.
