soul
/soul/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life: The spiritual or non-physical part of a person, often regarded as immortal and distinct from the body.
- A human being; a person: Used to refer to an individual, often with a focus on their existence or presence.
- The central, vital, or animating part of something; its essential nature or quality: The core element that gives something its character, energy, or feeling.
- Deep feeling or emotion: A capacity for or expression of strong, sincere emotion.
- A secular form of gospel music that was a major Black musical genre in the 1960s and 1970s: Characterized by its emotional intensity and roots in African American culture.
Examples of Usage
- As the immaterial essence:
- Many religions believe the soul lives on after death.
- She felt the poem spoke directly to her soul.
- As a human being:
- Not a soul was seen on the deserted street.
- The ship carried over five hundred souls.
- As the central, vital part:
- Honesty is the very soul of their friendship.
- The old theater has lost its soul since the renovation.
- As deep feeling or emotion:
- She sang the ballad with great soul.
- His apology lacked soul; it felt insincere.
- As a music genre:
- Aretha Franklin is known as the Queen of Soul.
- They spent the evening listening to classic soul records.
Advanced Usage
- "To bare one's soul": To reveal one's most private thoughts and feelings.
- In her memoir, she bares her soul to her readers.
- "The life and soul of the party": A person who is the most lively and entertaining person at a social gathering.
- He's always the life and soul of the party with his jokes and stories.
- "To sell one's soul": To compromise one's principles or integrity for personal gain, especially wealth or power.
- The character in the story sold his soul to the devil for knowledge.
Variants and Related Words
- Soulful (adj): Expressing or appearing to express deep, often sad, feeling.
- He gave a soulful performance on the saxophone.
- Soulless (adj): Lacking character, feeling, or human qualities; dull and mechanical.
- He worked in a soulless office building.
Synonyms
- Spirit: The non-physical part of a person (e.g., ).
- Essence: The intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something (e.g., ).
- Individual; person: A human being (e.g., ).
Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)
- Not a soul: No person at all.
- There wasn't a soul in the library.
- To keep body and soul together: To manage to survive, especially with very little money or food.
- He took odd jobs just to keep body and soul together.
Related Idioms
- Heart and soul: With all one's energy and enthusiasm.
- She put her heart and soul into the project.
- A lost soul: A person who seems lonely, confused, or without purpose.
- He wandered the streets like a lost soul after losing his job.
- Soul-searching: Deep and careful thought about one's feelings and motives.
- After the argument, he did some serious soul-searching.
Noun
- a secular form of gospel that was a major Black musical genre in the 1960s and 1970s
- soul was politically significant during the Civil Rights movement
- the human embodiment of something
- the soul of honor
- deep feeling or emotion
- a human being
- there was too much for one person to do
- the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life