Word.ws English Dictionary

upon my soul

upon my soul phrase: expressing astonishment or sincerity.

Phrase

upon my soul

  1. (dated) Expressing astonishment or sincerity.
    • My son writes me word that Mr. Vesey's family are angry with me for inserting some lines in the Legion Club touching him. Upon my soul, I never inserted one line in it; and upon the whole, I care not whether they believe me or not.1736 June 3, Thomas Sheridan, letter to Jonathan Swift
    • “Why then, upon my soul,” cries Benjamin, “it would require a great deal of art to keep you from being well after a very few dressings; and if you will suffer me to apply some salve of mine, I will answer for the success.” Jones gave his consent, and the plaister was applied accordingly.1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

Questions about upon my soul

What does upon my soul mean?
Upon my soul means expressing astonishment or sincerity.
What part of speech is upon my soul?
Upon my soul is a phrase.

Words near upon my soul in the dictionary

  1. upon a sixpence
  2. upon a stound
  3. upon a sudden
  4. upon a time
  5. upon my sivvy
  6. upon my soul
  7. upon my word
  8. upon one's legs
  9. upon one's speed
  10. upon pain of
  11. upon reflection

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: upon my soul (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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