What is another word for a soul?
The literal meaning of the word
soul is the
spirit that’s believed to inhabit a person separate from their body—the
spiritual self, as opposed to the physical self (this sense is reflected in the phrase
body and soul). In this sense, some believe the
soul survives after the death of the body—in a form we might call a
spirit or
ghost. Some people associate the
soul with a person’s
inner self or
essence, or perhaps their
personality,
ego, or
psyche.
Soul is often also used in
figurative and
metaphorical ways. The phrase
soul-searching means contemplating what a person feels in their
heart (in the figurative sense) or
conscience.
Soul is sometimes used as a way to refer to a
person, as in
Not a soul was left on board. Expressions like
old soul and
creative soul emphasize a person’s
sensibilities. To say that someone
has soul often means that they have
spirit,
courage, and
passion. Someone who’s described as
soulful is
passionate or
expressive. Sometimes,
soul is used to refer to the
core or
driving force behind something. This sometimes refers to a person, as in
Kate is the soul of this operation.
Heart is sometimes used in the same way, as is the phrase
heart and soul. Much more specifically,
soul is often used to describe things involving Black American culture, such as
soul food. The word
soul is commonly used as a short way of referring to
soul music.
What is the difference between soul and spirit?
Soul and
spirit are used interchangeably in many contexts. In some cases, though, they have different shades of meaning or are used in ways that are different altogether. Much of the time, the word
soul is more intense. For example, the
spirit of the nation might refer to the prevailing attitude, while the
soul of the nation usually refers to something deeper—the core beliefs and values of its people. Similarly, saying that someone has
spirit often means that they have a good attitude and
pluck, while saying that a person has
soul is similar but deeper and more intense. Use of the words differs in different ways in different contexts.
