Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dark night of the soul

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.57 in modern English

Syllables: dark- night of the -soul
IPA

33

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

3

Syllables

15

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

a period of time in which a holy person (someone believed to be potentially on their way to sainthood) experiences a seeming withdrawal of God's previously-felt presence in their lives, and undergoes stark spiritual attacks. This period of time is seen (by Catholics) to be a period in which God is calling the holy person to rid themselves of any remaining vestiges of self-pride and vanity that they may have.

Example Sentences

"Your dear friend ought to take heart. From what you have told me, it is quite likely that they are going through a dark night of the soul."

Etymology

Coined by John of the Cross.

Inflected Forms

dark nights of the soul (plural)

Synonyms

dark night

Questions

What does dark night of the soul mean?: a period of time in which a holy person (someone believed to be potentially on their way to sainthood) experiences a seeming withdrawal of God's previously-felt presence in their lives, and undergoes stark spiritual attacks. This period of time is seen (by Catholics) to be a period in which God is calling the holy person to rid themselves of any remaining vestiges of self-pride and vanity that they may have.
Where does dark night of the soul come from?: Coined by John of the Cross.

How to pronounce dark night of the soul

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