Awakening deep, powerful, and often uplifting emotion.
Reach for it when giving elevated praise to art, speech, or experience with profound emotional force
The choir offered a soul-stirring lament that ended in quiet hope.
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when courage or collective enthusiasm rises
Careful A quiet elegy can be soul-stirring without rousing anyone to action.
warm
Fits when hope or purposeful action is the result
Careful Profound emotion can remain contemplative rather than inspiring.
warm
Fits when deep feeling is the simple and credible effect
Careful Moving includes grief and tenderness without promising spiritual intensity.
professional
affecting
Fits when restrained prose needs to acknowledge emotional power
Careful Affecting is cooler and less celebratory.
formal
Fits when the experience seems to surpass ordinary limits
Careful Transcendent makes a philosophical claim stronger than emotional impact alone.
literary
Fits when emotion also awakens energy or resolve
Careful Stirring is less emphatic and need not reach a person's deepest convictions.
soul-stirring music
Soul-stirring music filled the hall without overwhelming the words.
soul-stirring speech
Her soul-stirring speech connected courage with practical service.
soul-stirring experience
The dawn gathering became a soul-stirring experience of remembrance.
Keep in mind
Soul-stirring is strong subjective praise; it should describe a demonstrated response, not promise one in promotional copy.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Updated
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