English

Noun

soliloquy ‎(plural soliloquies)

1. (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.

2. A speech or written discourse in this form.
   • 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XI, page 135:

     The feeling of Singleton's bosom grew heightened in its tone of melancholy, and a more passionate emphasis of thought broke forth in his half-muttered soliloquy:— ¶"How I remember as I look […]

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.

Synonyms

• (speech or written discourse): monologue

Antonyms

• (discourse of a single person): colloquy, dialogue, dialog

Hypernyms

• locution
• oration

Derived terms

• soliloquist
• soliloquize

Related terms

• solo, solitude
• locution – see other terms on same loquor root

Translations

See also

• apostrophe
• stage whisper

Verb

soliloquy ‎(third-person singular simple present soliloquies, present participle soliloquying or soliloquing, simple past and past participle soliloquied)

1. (very rare) To issue a soliloquy.

Synonyms

• soliloquize (much more common)