soulmate means someone, especially a romantic partner, with whom one is exceptionally or uniquely compatible or has a special, almost spiritual connection. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
Why “soulmate” is a great word
SOULMATE — [Noun] A person, especially a romantic partner, with whom one shares a deep sense of affinity, compatibility, and spiritual connection. From soul (the spiritual or immaterial part of a person) + mate (companion, partner); first attested as 'soul-mate' in an 1822 letter by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Unlike a “kindred spirit,” which emphasizes profound similarity of character, or a “life partner,” which denotes a practical, enduring union, a soulmate implies a destined, metaphysical resonance. It is the uncanny familiarity in a stranger’s gesture, the sensation of a locked mechanism clicking open within the chest, and the quiet alignment of spines in sleep—a secular article of faith that the universe might, on occasion, make a tender and specific sense.
Etymology
From soul + mate. First attested as soul-mate in an 1822 letter by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Not in common usage before the 1980s.
noun
- Someone, especially a romantic partner, with whom one is exceptionally or uniquely compatible or has a special, almost spiritual connection.“Finding your wonderful soulmate is very similar to the process of sowing a seed and nurturing it into a beautiful blossoming plant.”