to sell one's soul
- idiom
- Informal
:
vender el alma
- You could own land from here to Gaul, what good would it do you if you'd sold your soul?
Examples
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He sold his soul for stardom, sacrificing his integrity for fame.
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You would sell your soul for a story.
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Why did you sell your soul?
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Many a man has sold his soul for those little crumbs.
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- He sold his soul for stardom.
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Yeah, well, selling your soul always comes with risks, doesn't it?
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You've sold your soul.
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Many musicians sell their souls to achieve success, abandoning their true art.
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In his quest for power, he decided to sell his soul, betraying his values.
Synonyms
642
7.9
To betray someone for personal gain
55
6.8
To give up your beliefs for money or personal gain
2
9.9
To give up your values for money or fame
Give up what is right to get money or power
To betray or use close family to get something for yourself
To use your skill for money in ways that feel wrong or cheap
To give up something very important for little or no value
To give up something very important for a small, quick gain
Antonyms
How Immoral
- Informal
- Informal
55
6.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'sell' and 'soul', so it evokes the idea of trading away something essential and can hint at giving up important values for gain. However, its idiomatic meaning (a moral compromise or Faustian bargain) is metaphorical and culturally loaded, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words might grasp a general negative trade-for-gain sense but not the full idiomatic nuance.
Etymology
The idiom sell one's soul comes from old tales where people made a deal with the devil, literally agreeing to sell their soul in return for money, power, or fame. So today it means 'betray your morals' to get 'personal gain'.