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soulful

soulful

32 4.5
Having deep feelings that move people
  • adjective
  • /ˈsoʊl.fəl/
translation icon : conmovedor
  • On stage, a young Billie Holiday belts out a soulful blues tune.
  • soulful eyes
  • soulful voice
  • soulful singer

I really enjoyed that he is so soulful and wise.

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Examples

  • Lulu Belle began to follow me everywhere, calming down and becoming a quiet, soulful presence.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Her soulful expression revealed the deep emotions she felt during the song.

  • Well, that he does have such soulful eyes.

  • Although its voice was louder, the guitar never lost its soulful, personal appeal.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Under all that veneer is a very soulful young attorney.

  • I wanted to ask what makes a space soulful versus soulless?

  • Dem liked the song choice, saying Beatrice was so soulful and had an amazing tone.

    Blog text (20)
  • He's just making really, really, really good, soulful, introspective, thoughtful, meaningful country music.

  • Walter Dean Myers's soulful poems are accompanied by his son Christopher's remarkable paintings done on brown paper bags.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The singer's performance was incredibly soulful, moving the audience to tears.

Synonyms

deep
vssoulful
603 1.0

Very strong or intense, for example very dark

is specifically about full, expressive feeling rather than mere intensity
heartfelt
vssoulful
77 4.3

Shows deep and sincere feeling in words or actions

emphasizes depth of feeling rather than personal sincerity alone
lyrical
vssoulful
31 4.9

Expressing deep personal feeling like a song

covers deep emotion without requiring musical or poetic tone
emotive
vssoulful
10 6.0

Causes strong feelings, often sadness or joy

centres on genuine inner feeling rather than provoking a reaction
2 6.1

Very beautiful in a sad or mysterious way that stays in your mind

means deep feeling broadly, not limited to mystery or sadness
soul-stirring
vssoulful
1 7.1

Making you feel very strong emotions

focuses on having deep feeling within rather than causing it
feelingful
vssoulful
7.2

Showing strong emotion that moves people

is more about deep, inner feeling than mere outward intensity
souled
vssoulful
7.7

Showing deep feeling in a song or performance

refers more generally to deep emotional expression beyond artistic display
passional
vssoulful
  • Archaic
9.8

Showing strong emotion, often in a dramatic or poetic way

is about deep feeling but not necessarily dramatic intensity

Antonyms

34 6.3

Cold and showing no warm or deep feeling

How Soulful

impassioned
30 5.8
soulful
32 4.5
earnest
28 4.2
flat
297 4.4

Surface Forms

soulful positive

Morphology

soulful = soul (transparent) = soul + ful

Formed by the productive suffix '-ful' meaning 'full of' added to the clear base 'soul', so the meaning 'full of feeling' is directly derived.

Etymology

Soulful comes from soul 'inner self' or 'spirit' plus the ending -ful 'full of', so it literally means 'full of soul' or deep feeling. That's why a soulful song or look feels very emotional and can move people.