soulmate

noun

soul·​mate ˈsōl-ˌmāt 

variants or soul mate

plural soulmates or soul mates

1

: a close friend or romantic partner with whom one has a unique deep connection based on mutual understanding and acceptance

When I fell in love the first time, I believed in 'soulmates,' and felt he was the one.

—Tuli Banerjee

We were always friends, and we always stayed in touch. There was always this connection. I can't explain it. It's almost like soulmates, and it always was.

—Melanie Griffith, quoted in People Weekly

Every lonely adolescent fantasizes a lost twin somewhere, the perfect companion, confidant and soul mate—another self.

—Sharon Begley

2

: a person who shares the same beliefs or opinions as another person

ideological soulmates

You half-heartedly play the election game, giving your vote to the least offensive candidate at the time. But you save your heart, hoping for that day when your political soul mate rides in on a white horse.

—Burt Constable

also : something likened to a soulmate in being very similar to or being a typical companion to another thing

And, unlike their soulmates at Pinehurst, these [golf] courses often feature substantial elevation changes.

—Larry Olmsted

Discovery, like its soul mate love, is a many-splendored thing.

—Stephen Jay Gould

Did you know?

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 soulmate in a Sentence

a husband and wife who are perfect soulmates

They are ideological soulmates.

Recent Examples on the Web

As the embodiment of soulmates, often mentioned in pop culture alongside of Bonnie and Clyde or Burton and Taylor, Johnny and June had a connection from their first meeting. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2026

King doesn’t quite get the chance to build the necessary chemistry with her soulmate before Maridueña slips into an onscreen coma for the majority of the film, depriving them the childhood sweetheart backstory of the book. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026

Ultimately, Queneau has found a way to stay married to his soulmate and to also chase elk and deer across Montana’s mountainsides. — Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 2 Sep. 2026

In a normal rom-com, this is where Jack would exit stage left as the martyr who nudged Wendy toward her true soulmate. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for soulmate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

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