soul mate

Definition of soul mate

1 : a person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament

2 : a person who strongly resembles another in attitudes or beliefs ideological soul mates

Soul Mate and Poetry More Example Sentences Learn More about soul mate

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Soul Mate and Poetry

The earliest known use of soul mate is found in an 1822 letter from English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge to "a Young Lady" in which he writes, "To be happy in Marriage Life, nay … in order not to be miserable, you must have a Soul-mate as well as a House or a Yoke-mate…." The word yokemate is used to refer to someone who is figuratively yoked to another, such as a close associate or companion, or, as Coleridge uses the word, a spouse. Coleridge's advice to the recipient of his letter, then, is that she should not simply settle for a husband, but rather for a person whose character and sensibilities are of a nature suitable to her own. Soul mate is now often used by English speakers to describe those with whom our bonds of affection are marked by a strong sense of like-mindedness and intertwined affinities.

Examples of soul mate in a Sentence

a husband and wife who are perfect soul mates They are ideological soul mates.

Recent Examples on the Web Rob and Deb met as soul mates in 2011 and married in 2015 and were about to celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary on October 18th. — courant.com, "Robert G. Riddell," 8 Oct. 2019 In 2010, the singer who runs a billion dollar clothing line the Jessica Simpson Collection, found her soul mate in Eric Johnson. — Liz Mcneil, PEOPLE.com, "Jessica Simpson Reveals in Brave New Memoir: 'I Was Killing Myself with All the Drinking and Pills'," 22 Jan. 2020 Both matter: soul mate or lunch partner, there’s value in talking about important things and nothing at all. — Jenny Anderson, Quartz, "A Harvard sociologist explains why we confide in strangers," 2 Mar. 2020 Peter's pool of potential soul mates isn't much better. — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, "This New Rumour About The Next Bachelorette Could Fix This Season’s Biggest Problem," 28 Feb. 2020 Ever since then the two soul mates have always been at each other's side. — courant.com, "Charlotte Whitham," 15 Nov. 2019 Long story short: She's abandoned, finds a song-collaborator and new soul mate who steals her music and now plays to sold-out stadium crowds. — oregonlive, "Portland Center Stage gives ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ a raucous homecoming," 7 Jan. 2020 So, the question becomes—are these two twisted soul mates destined to be together forever? — Katherine J Igoe, Marie Claire, "Netflix's 'You' Season 3: Everything We Know So Far," 26 Dec. 2019 In Pullman’s most striking act of imagination, every human has an inseparable animal soul mate known as a daemon (pronounced demon). — Washington Post, "Philip Pullman’s latest book is adventure for an anxious age," 27 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'soul mate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Soul mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul%20mate. Accessed 11 Jul. 2020.

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