Soul Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms soul American [sohl] / soʊl /

noun

1. 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

2. 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.

3. the disembodied spirit of a deceased person.

   He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him.

4. the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments.

   Synonyms: heart

5. a human being; person.

6. high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc.

7. the animating principle; the essential element or part of something.

   Synonyms: heart, core, essence

8. the inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc.

9. the embodiment of some quality.

   He was the very soul of tact.

10. (initial capital letter) God; the divine source of all identity and individuality.

11. shared ethnic awareness and pride among Black people, especially Black Americans.

12. deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist.

13. soul music.

adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or for Black Americans or their culture.

   soul newspapers.

soul 1 British / səʊl /

noun

1. 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

2. Christianity the spiritual part of a person, capable of redemption from the power of sin through divine grace

3. the essential part or fundamental nature of anything

4. a person's feelings or moral nature as distinct from other faculties

5. 1. Also called: soul music. a type of Black music resulting from the addition of jazz, gospel, and pop elements to the urban blues style

   2. ( as modifier )

      a soul singer

6. (modifier) of or relating to Black Americans and their culture

   soul brother

   soul food

7. nobility of spirit or temperament

   a man of great soul and courage

8. an inspiring spirit or leading figure, as of a cause or movement

9. a person regarded as typifying some characteristic or quality

   the soul of discretion

10. a person; individual

    an honest soul

11. See life

12. an exclamation of surprise

"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 Soul 2 British / səʊl /

noun

1. Christian Science another word for God

"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 soul Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing soul

• bare one's soul
• heart and soul
• keep body and soul together
• kindred spirit (soul)
• living soul

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 weekly drama followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional town of Capeside, Mass. Van Der Beek’s Dawson was a sensitive soul and an aspiring filmmaker.

From The Wall Street Journal

“But I knew in my heart and soul I was never going let the movie out without that being in it.”

From Los Angeles Times

He had a heart full of love and a soul that was kind.

From Literature

The analysis illuminates one of the most confounding aspects of “Beloved”: the character called Beloved is the ghost of the murdered daughter and also of an unknown soul who died in the Middle Passage.

From The Wall Street Journal

While reading Catherine profess, “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same,” one doesn’t need the aid of a film’s visuals.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• conscience
• courage
• ego
• feeling
• genius
• heart
• intellect
• intelligence
• life
• mind
• personality
• spirit
• stuff
• thought
• vitality

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.