Soliloquy
noun /səˈlɪləkwi/ — The act of speaking one's thoughts aloud, especially when alone.
Definition
A dramatic form in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud to themselves — and by extension, any private extended expression of thought not addressed to an audience but to oneself.
Beyond the definition
The soliloquy is where the mask comes off. On stage, it's the moment we hear what is really going on inside. In life, it's what you say in the car, in the shower — the thoughts that can't be contained in silence.
Origin & history
From Medieval Latin 'soliloquium' — from 'solus' (alone) + 'loqui' (to speak). Made famous by Shakespeare's great theatrical monologues; 'To be or not to be' is the most famous soliloquy in the language.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Hamlet's soliloquies are how we know who he really is, beneath the performance.
Her morning walk had become a kind of soliloquy — the day's problems spoken aloud to the trees.
A diary is a written soliloquy — thought made visible.
Synonyms
monologue, internal speech, aside, meditation
Antonyms
dialogue, conversation
Related words
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Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Person sitting in silent room
An adult sits in a quiet, minimalist room, hands folded, eyes focused on a distant, blurred garden.
The stillness and focus on internal thoughts, addressed to oneself rather than an external audience, perfectly embody the essence of a private, extended expression of internal state.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration