Standard Lemma guide

soliloquy

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • səlĭlʹəkwē
  • /səˈlɪləkwi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH0 L IH1 L AH0 K W IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of a character speaking to themselves so as to reveal their thoughts to the audience.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: broadcasting, drama, dramaturgy, entertainment, film, lifestyle, media, television, theater

Examples

  • At the end of the second act the main villain gave a soliloquy detailing his plans to attack the protagonist.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A speech or written discourse in this form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: authorship, broadcasting, communications, film, journalism, literature, media, publishing, television, writing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: monologue

Antonyms: colloquy, dialogue, dialog

3

verb

Meaning 3

To issue a soliloquy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: actor's line, speech, words

5

noun

Meaning 5

speech you make to yourself

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: monologue

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: speech, speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, language, voice communication, oral communication

History

Etymology

1595–1605; From Late Latin sōliloquium in the title of St. Augustine's Soliloquiorum libri duo ("Two Books of Soliloquies"), from sōlus (“only, sole”) + loquor (“to speak”).

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: alleenspraak — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Armenian: մենախոսություն (menaxosutʻyun) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Bulgarian: монолог (monolog) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Catalan: soliloqui — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獨白 /独白 (dúbái) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Czech: samomluva — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Danish: enetale — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Finnish: yksinpuhelu — act of a character speaking to himself
  • French: soliloque — act of a character speaking to himself
  • German: Selbstgespräch — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Greek: μονόλογος (monólogos) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Hungarian: monológ — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Hungarian: magánbeszéd — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Icelandic: eintal — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Icelandic: einræða — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Indonesian: senandika — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Indonesian: solilokui — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Italian: soliloquio — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Japanese: 独り言 (hitorigoto) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Japanese: 独白 (dokuhaku) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Japanese: 独話 (dokuwa) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Korean: 독백 (dokbaek) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Norwegian Bokmål: enetale — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Polish: solilokwium — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Portuguese: solilóquio — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Russian: моноло́г (monológ) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Russian: солило́квий (solilókvij) — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Spanish: soliloquio — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Swedish: monolog — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Turkish: kendi kendine konuşma — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Welsh: ymson — act of a character speaking to himself
  • Catalan: soliloqui — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獨白 /独白 (dúbái) — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Danish: enetale — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Danish: monolog — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Dutch: monoloog — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Finnish: yksinpuhelu — speech or written discourse in this form
  • French: soliloque — speech or written discourse in this form
  • French: monologue — speech or written discourse in this form
  • German: Selbstgespräch — speech or written discourse in this form
  • German: Monolog — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Greek: μονόλογος (monólogos) — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Hungarian: monológ — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Hungarian: belső monológ — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Hungarian: magánbeszéd — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Icelandic: eintal — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Icelandic: einræða — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Italian: soliloquio — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Japanese: 独白 (dokuhaku) — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Māori: kupu whaiaroaro — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Norwegian Bokmål: enetale — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Norwegian Bokmål: monolog — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Portuguese: solilóquio — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Russian: моноло́г (monológ) — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Spanish: soliloquio — speech or written discourse in this form
  • Swedish: monolog — speech or written discourse in this form