"soul searching" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "soul searchings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "soul searching (countable and uncountable, plural soul searchings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "soul-searching"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of soul-searching"
      ],
      "id": "en-soul_searching-en-noun-EnkFBPY8",
      "links": [
        [
          "soul-searching",
          "soul-searching#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "soul searching"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more soul searching",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most soul searching",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "soul searching (comparative more soul searching, superlative most soul searching)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "soul-searching"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997, Joey O'Connor, Excuse Me!: I'll Take My Piece of the Planet Now",
          "text": "While these questions are important and demand an intelligent response, don't allow the issues of the day to distract you from daily asking yourself the toughest, most soul searching questions of all:",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, House of Commons Debates, page 15893",
          "text": "He raised some very soul searching and gut wrenching questions in his commentary.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Joan C. Curtis, Hire Smart and Keep 'Em: How to Interview Strategically Using POINT, page 124",
          "text": "It must have been very soul searching for you.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of soul-searching"
      ],
      "id": "en-soul_searching-en-adj-EnkFBPY8",
      "links": [
        [
          "soul-searching",
          "soul-searching#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "soul searching"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "verb form"
      },
      "expansion": "soul searching",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "10 10 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "soul search"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "present participle and gerund of soul search"
      ],
      "id": "en-soul_searching-en-verb-LSCHPVCz",
      "links": [
        [
          "soul search",
          "soul search#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "gerund",
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "soul searching"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verb forms"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "soul searchings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "soul searching (countable and uncountable, plural soul searchings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "soul-searching"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of soul-searching"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "soul-searching",
          "soul-searching#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "soul searching"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verb forms"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more soul searching",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most soul searching",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "soul searching (comparative more soul searching, superlative most soul searching)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "soul-searching"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1997, Joey O'Connor, Excuse Me!: I'll Take My Piece of the Planet Now",
          "text": "While these questions are important and demand an intelligent response, don't allow the issues of the day to distract you from daily asking yourself the toughest, most soul searching questions of all:",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, House of Commons Debates, page 15893",
          "text": "He raised some very soul searching and gut wrenching questions in his commentary.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Joan C. Curtis, Hire Smart and Keep 'Em: How to Interview Strategically Using POINT, page 124",
          "text": "It must have been very soul searching for you.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of soul-searching"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "soul-searching",
          "soul-searching#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "soul searching"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English non-lemma forms",
    "English nouns",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "English verb forms"
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "verb form"
      },
      "expansion": "soul searching",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "soul search"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "present participle and gerund of soul search"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "soul search",
          "soul search#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "gerund",
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "soul searching"
}