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Meaning & use

soul-stirring

adjective·Advancedliterary

Last updated

UK/ˈsəʊlˌstɜː.rɪŋ/
US/ˈsoʊlˌstɝː.ɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a nounliterary

    Affecting someone's deepest feelings in a strong, uplifting way.

    Grammar: Used before a noun, as in a soul-stirring speech; it is not usually put after a verb.

    Patterns

    • a soul-stirring performance
    • a soul-stirring speech

    The choir gave a soul-stirring performance that left the audience silent.

    Her final speech was so soul-stirring that several people were in tears.

    He wrote a soul-stirring poem about his grandmother's long life.

  2. adjectivebefore a nounliterary

    Causing a deep, almost spiritual sense of wonder or emotion.

    Grammar: Also used before a noun; the feeling it describes is stronger and more inward than merely exciting.

    Patterns

    • a soul-stirring experience
    • soul-stirring music

    Standing on the mountain at sunrise was a soul-stirring experience.

    The film's soul-stirring music stayed with me for days.

Word forms

comparativemore soul-stirring
superlativemost soul-stirring

Common combinations

a soul-stirring performance
Critics called the concert a soul-stirring performance.
soul-stirring music
The documentary uses soul-stirring music in its final scene.
a soul-stirring experience
Visiting the memorial was a soul-stirring experience for everyone.
profoundly soul-stirring
The ending is profoundly soul-stirring without being sentimental.

Synonyms and how they differ

moving
Moving is the everyday choice and can describe sadness as well as uplift; soul-stirring is stronger and more literary.
inspiring
Inspiring suggests it gives you energy or ideas to act, while soul-stirring focuses on deep feeling rather than action.
uplifting
Uplifting means it makes you feel happier or more hopeful; soul-stirring can include awe or sorrow.

Opposites

dullunmoving

Word family

soul noun
The inner self or spirit; the base of this compound.
stirring adjective
Exciting strong feelings; used alone it is weaker and more general.

Commonly confused: soul-stirring or sole-stirring?

soul-stirring vs sole-stirring

Sole means 'only' or the bottom of a foot, so sole-stirring would be a strange mistake for soul-stirring, which is about the spirit.

Practice

The documentary's ______ final scene left the whole class speechless.

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