dark nights of the soul

A form of dark night of the soul — 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.

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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of dark night of the soul
Cite this entry
APA

dark nights of the soul. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dark%20nights%20of%20the%20soul

MLA

“dark nights of the soul.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dark%20nights%20of%20the%20soul. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dark nights of the soul,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dark%20nights%20of%20the%20soul.

Source: dark nights of the soul on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.