soul-searching
noun
soul-search·ing
ˈsōl-ˌsər-chiŋ 
: examination of one's conscience especially with regard to motives and values
Synonyms
Examples of soul-searching in a Sentence
after much soul-searching, they both realized that their marriage was essentially over
Recent Examples on the Web
He was attracted to the project to understand the angst that led the teenagers to kill themselves and the soul-searching that this tragedy provoked in their parents and grandparents.
—
Martin Dale, Variety, 21 May 2024
And a third straight loss in the first round of the playoffs will undoubtedly lead to some offseason soul-searching for the Kings.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
The inherent unfairness of the death penalty, whether because of race or its finality, has been debated for years, often with soul-searching arguments that go beyond politics.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The current moment is unlikely to provoke much soul-searching in the Kremlin.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The soul-searching starts and ends there, on an outlier of a song more concerned with the consequences of fame than the cause of those consequences.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024
Beyond that are the unknowns, as well as soul-searching, pain and accusations.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
Belly injections, hormonal shifts and a fair bit of soul-searching ensue.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024
Everyone was soul-searching and looking for answers on Wednesday.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
Martin Dale, Variety, 21 May 2024
And a third straight loss in the first round of the playoffs will undoubtedly lead to some offseason soul-searching for the Kings.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024
The inherent unfairness of the death penalty, whether because of race or its finality, has been debated for years, often with soul-searching arguments that go beyond politics.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The current moment is unlikely to provoke much soul-searching in the Kremlin.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The soul-searching starts and ends there, on an outlier of a song more concerned with the consequences of fame than the cause of those consequences.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024
Beyond that are the unknowns, as well as soul-searching, pain and accusations.
—Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
Belly injections, hormonal shifts and a fair bit of soul-searching ensue.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024
Everyone was soul-searching and looking for answers on Wednesday.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soul-searching.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near soul-searching
Cite this Entry
“Soul-searching.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul-searching. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
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