soliloquy
/səˈlɪləkwi/ noun, verb
Forms soliloquies soliloquying soliloquing soliloquied
- noun (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.”
- noun (authorship) A speech or written discourse in this form.
- verb (rare) To issue a soliloquy.
Synonyms
Antonyms
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of talking to one's self; a discourse made by one in solitude to one's self; monologue.
- noun A written composition, reciting what it is supposed a person says to himself.
Etymology [L. soliloquium; solus alone + loqui to speak. See Sole ly, and Loquacious.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “soliloquy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details