Meaning & use
poor soul
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
A way of referring to someone you feel sorry for because they are in a difficult or sad situation.
Grammar: Usually used as a noun phrase: 'the poor soul', 'you poor soul'. It can stand alone as an exclamation.
Patterns
- the poor soul
- you poor soul
- poor soul!
The poor soul had been waiting in the rain for an hour.
You poor soul — you must be exhausted after that journey.
She lost her keys again, poor soul.
Common combinations
- you poor soul
- You poor soul, you look freezing!
- the poor soul
- The poor soul didn't know where to turn.
- poor soul!
- Poor soul! That's terrible news.
Synonyms and how they differ
- poor thing
- Very similar, but 'poor thing' can be used for animals and objects too, while 'poor soul' is only for people.
- unfortunate person
- More formal and neutral; 'poor soul' carries sympathy and is informal.
Commonly confused: poor soul or poor sole?
poor soul vs poor sole
'Sole' is a fish or the bottom of a foot; 'soul' is the spirit or a person. The phrase is always 'poor soul'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'poor soul' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Poor soul' is used to express sympathy for a person. The other options confuse 'soul' with 'sole' (of a shoe) or use 'poor' to mean 'bad at something', which doesn't fit the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “poor soul”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.