Meaning & use
soliloquy
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Meanings
nouncountable
A speech in a play in which a character, alone on stage, speaks their thoughts aloud.
Grammar: Countable: a soliloquy, soliloquies. Often used with 'deliver', 'speak', or 'give'.
Patterns
- deliver a soliloquy
- speak in soliloquy
- a famous soliloquy
Hamlet's most famous soliloquy begins with 'To be, or not to be'.
The actor delivered a long soliloquy while the rest of the cast stood frozen in the dark.
In her soliloquy, the queen reveals her plan to the audience alone.
nouncountable or uncountableliterary
The act or habit of talking to oneself, especially when thinking out loud.
Grammar: Can be countable (a soliloquy) or uncountable (in soliloquy). Usually literary or formal.
Patterns
- in soliloquy
- a private soliloquy
He wandered through the empty house in soliloquy, muttering about the past.
Her diary reads like a soliloquy, as if she were talking to no one but herself.
Word forms
| plural | soliloquies |
|---|
Common combinations
- deliver a soliloquy
- The young actor had to deliver a soliloquy to an empty theater.
- famous soliloquy
- That famous soliloquy is often studied in English classes.
- in soliloquy
- She sat by the window, lost in soliloquy.
- a soliloquy on something
- The play ends with a soliloquy on death and memory.
Synonyms and how they differ
- monologue
- A monologue is a long speech by one person, often addressed to others on stage; a soliloquy is spoken alone and reveals private thoughts.
- aside
- An aside is a short remark to the audience that other characters do not hear; a soliloquy is longer and usually delivered when the character is alone.
Word family
- soliloquize verb
- To speak a soliloquy or talk to oneself.
- soliloquist noun
- A person who speaks a soliloquy.
Commonly confused: soliloquy or monologue? soliloquy or soliloquy vs. dialogue?
soliloquy vs monologue
A monologue can be addressed to other characters or to the audience; a soliloquy is spoken by a character who is alone and does not expect to be overheard.
soliloquy vs soliloquy vs. dialogue
Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters; a soliloquy is one character speaking alone.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'soliloquy' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A soliloquy is a speech by a character alone on stage, revealing private thoughts, as in option B. Option An is wrong because a soliloquy is not a conversation; option C is a letter, not a stage speech; option D is a talk to others, which is a monologue or lecture, not a soliloquy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soliloquy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.