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Webster 1913 Edition


Soliloquy

So-lil′o-quy

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Soliloquies
(#)
.
[L.
soliloquium
;
solus
alone +
loqui
to speak. See
Sole
ly, and
Loquacious
.]
1.
The act of talking to one’s self; a discourse made by one in solitude to one's self; monologue.
Lovers are always allowed the comfort of
soliloquy
.
Spectator.
2.
A written composition, reciting what it is supposed a person says to himself.
The whole poem is a
soliloquy
.
Prior.

Webster 1828 Edition


Soliloquy

SOLIL'OQUY

,
Noun.
[L. solus, alone, and loquor, to speak.]
1.
A talking to one's self; a talking or discourse of a person alone, or not addressed to another person, even when others are persent. Lovers are always allowed the comfort of soliloquy.
2.
A written composition, reciting what it is supposed a person speaks to himself. The whole poem is a solioquy.

Definition 2024


soliloquy

soliloquy

English

Noun

soliloquy (plural soliloquies)

  1. (drama) The act of a character speaking to themselves so as to reveal their thoughts to the audience.
    At the end of the second act the main villain gave a soliloquy detailing his plans to attack the protagonist.
  2. A speech or written discourse in this form.
    • 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XI, page 135:
      The feeling of Singleton's bosom grew heightened in its tone of melancholy, and a more passionate emphasis of thought broke forth in his half-muttered soliloquy: ¶"How I remember as I look []

Usage notes

Primarily used of theater, particularly the works of William Shakespeare, as a term of art, particularly for finely-crafted speeches. An archetype is the “To be or not to besoliloquy in Hamlet. In informal speech or discussions of popular culture, the term monologue is used instead.

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Verb

soliloquy (third-person singular simple present soliloquies, present participle soliloquying or soliloquing, simple past and past participle soliloquied)

  1. (very rare) To issue a soliloquy.

Synonyms