23/07/2025
soliloquy
uk/səˈlɪl.ə.kwi/ us/səˈlɪl.ə.kwi/
Etymology
1595–1605; From Late Latinsōliloquium in the title of St. Augustine's Soliloquiorum libri duo ("Two Books of Soliloquies"), from sōlus(“only, sole”) + loquor(“I speak”).
Noun
soliloquy (countable and uncountable, plural soliloquies)
(drama) The act of a character speaking to themselves so as to reveal their thoughts to the audience.
Coordinate term: aside
At the end of the second act the main villain gave a soliloquy detailing his plans to attack the protagonist.
(authorship) A speech or written discourse in this form.
Synonym: monologue
Antonyms: colloquy, dialogue, dialog
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 be” soliloquy in Hamlet. In informal speech or discussions of popular culture, the term monologue is used instead. However, the terms are not precisely synonymous; a monologue is held in the presence and directed towards other characters on the stage, whereas a soliloquy does not acknowledge the presence of any other stage characters if present, and is directed to the audience.
Hypernyms
locution
oration
Verb
soliloquy (third-person singular simple present soliloquies, present participle soliloquying or soliloquing, simple past and past participle soliloquied)
(rare) To issue a soliloquy.
Synonyms
soliloquize (much more common)
