inner monologue
Voice within you
Inner monologue is the voice inside your head—the running stream of thoughts, observations, and self-talk that accompanies conscious experience.
My inner monologue wouldn't shut up during the meeting.
Some people report a constant verbal narrator; others think more in images or feelings.
The term appears in literary criticism for a narrative technique that renders a character's thoughts directly.
Private mental speech
- subvocalizationSilent mental pronunciation
- mental chatterContinuous inner commentary
- running commentaryContinuous verbal account
- thinking aloudExpressing thoughts verbally
Examining one's own mind
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-questioningProbing one's own thoughts
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
rumination · pondering · self-scrutiny · self-observation · self-analysis · self-inquiry · self-discovery · soul-searching
Mental concept or reflection
- thinkingMental reasoning process
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
perception · intellect · cognition · cerebration · mentation · mental process · ideation · deliberation
Narrative mimicking uninterrupted thought
- narratorOne who tells events
- first-person"I" as narrator
- voice-overOff-screen spoken commentary
- autobiographicalConcerning one's own life
confessional · perspective · point of view · storytelling · memoir · Woolf · Joyce · Faulkner
Dramatic speech to oneself
- asideBrief theatrical digression
- HamletDanish prince's revenge tragedy
- audienceGathered viewers collectively
- stageRaised performance platform
performer · revelation · exposition · Shakespeare · confession · dramatic irony · fourth wall · Macbeth
internal dialogue
Private mental speech
- subvocalizationSilent mental pronunciation
- mental chatterContinuous inner commentary
- running commentaryContinuous verbal account
thinking aloud · mental rehearsal · head voice · stream of thought
self-reflection
Examining one's own mind
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-questioningProbing one's own thoughts
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
contemplation · rumination · pondering · self-scrutiny · self-observation · self-analysis · self-inquiry · self-discovery · soul-searching · self-assessment
thought
Mental concept or reflection
- thinkingMental reasoning process
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
awareness · perception · intellect · cognition · cerebration · mentation · mental process · ideation · deliberation · comprehension
stream of consciousness
Narrative mimicking uninterrupted thought
- narratorOne who tells events
- first-person"I" as narrator
- voice-overOff-screen spoken commentary
autobiographical · confessional · perspective · point of view · storytelling · memoir · Woolf · Joyce · Faulkner · literary device
soliloquy
Dramatic speech to oneself
- asideBrief theatrical digression
- HamletDanish prince's revenge tragedy
- audienceGathered viewers collectively
stage · performer · revelation · exposition · Shakespeare · confession · dramatic irony · fourth wall · Macbeth
- actingacting, act, performing, playacting, actor
- mindmind, thought, cognition, consciousness, thinking
- inner thoughtsself-talk, internal dialogue, thoughts, thinking, thought
- personal writingdiary, journal, autobiographical essay, memoir, memoirs
- thoughtsthought, idea, thoughts, ideas, thinking
- comic elementsspeech bubble, word balloon, thought bubbles, dialogue box, scalloped edge
inner monologuespoken words
verbal expression · speech · vocalization · public discourse · utterance
inner monologuedialogue
Spoken exchange between parties
conversation · discussion · exchange · back-and-forth · two-way communication
inner monologuemental imagery
Pictures formed in mind
sensory experience · gut feeling · blank mind · visual thinking · spatial reasoning
inner, monologue, internally, monologues, interiorly, interior monologue, internal monologue