Phrase guide

soul food

noun · 3 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

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  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Nourishment for the soul; spiritual sustenance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A style of food originating in the rural southern US, traditionally associated with African Americans.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

food traditionally eaten by African-Americans in the South

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: food, nutrient

History

Etymology

(food): Originated in the mid-1960s, when soul was commonly used to describe African-American culture.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Japanese: ソウルフード (sōru fūdo) — Nourishment for the soul
  • Korean: 소울푸드 (soulpudeu) — Nourishment for the soul
  • Polish: soul food — Nourishment for the soul