profundity

American  

[pruh-fuhn-di-tee] / prəˈfʌn dɪ ti /

noun

profundities plural

1. the quality or state of being profound; depth.

2. Usually profundities. profound or deep matters.

3. a profoundly deep place; abyss.

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• profundities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of profundity

1375–1425; late Middle English profundite < Late Latin profunditās. See profound, -ity

Explanation

Profundity describes being thoughtful, deep, and wise. Your profundity might inspire friends to come to you for advice. Profundity comes from the word profound and it means a quality of depth or wisdom that is meaningful or even transformational. The profundity of a piece of music might move you to tears, and the profundity of certain philosophies can be deep — and a bit confusing. Profundity can describe something that's intense, like the profundity of the silence in the room following the announcement of bad news.

Example Sentences

Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto let a day’s stroll linger into profundity, the twilight dimming and human connection brewing in all its possibilities.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

In “Walden,” he found constant wonder in the obvious; in “Civil Disobedience,” he mined moral profundity out of common sense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Part of the beauty and profundity of people’s psychedelic experiences is the ineffable—but the systems that run on Western science are hungry for hard data, replicable and reliable outcomes, and, perhaps most importantly, profit.

From Slate • Jan. 30, 2026

Is Anima’s game supposed to imply that most mainstream audiences don’t understand the profundity tucked beneath those sparkling synths?

From Salon • May 19, 2025

He did not whisper, though he did not speak overloud; the dark room which he faced repeated his voice with hollow profundity, as an unfurnished room will.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

Related Words

• solidity
• sophistication