Meaning & use
soul-searching
A deep and honest examination of one's own feelings, motives, and beliefs, especially before a difficult decision.
See it in a sentence
After months of soul-searching, she finally decided to leave her stable job for a riskier career.
The team did some serious soul-searching after losing the championship game.
A note on using this word
Soul-searching usually implies a period of struggle or uncertainty, not a quick or casual moment of thought.
Words with a similar meaning
self-reflectionintrospection
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soul-searching”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.