profound
Americanadjective
-
penetrating or entering deeply into subjects of thought or knowledge; having deep insight or understanding.
a profound thinker.
- Antonyms:
- superficial, shallow
-
originating in or penetrating to the depths of one's being: profound grief.
-
being or going far beneath what is superficial, external, or obvious.
profound insight.
-
of deep meaning; of great and broadly inclusive significance.
a profound book.
-
pervasive or intense; thorough; complete.
a profound silence.
-
extending, situated, or originating far down, or far beneath the surface.
the profound depths of the ocean.
-
bending or passing far downward; low.
a profound bow.
adjective
-
penetrating deeply into subjects or ideas
a profound mind
-
showing or requiring great knowledge or understanding
a profound treatise
-
situated at or extending to a great depth
-
reaching to or stemming from the depths of one's nature
profound regret
-
intense or absolute
profound silence
-
thoroughgoing; extensive
profound changes
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of profound
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profundus “deep, vast,” equivalent to pro- pro- 1 + fundus “bottom” ( see found 1)
Explanation
When you need a word that's deeper than "deep," consider profound. A philosopher is likely to make many profound pronouncements. Profundus literally means "deep" in Latin, and profound had the same meaning when it entered English in the 14th century. But even then, it also meant "figuratively deep" — that is, very great or intense: "The new laws have had a profound impact." Of people, it means "very knowledgeable or insightful," but sometimes when a person tries to sound profound, they're really just giving you superficial knowledge dressed up with big words.
Vocabulary lists containing profound
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
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List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We may be under-modeling one of the most profound possibilities in front of us: that people live significantly longer, healthier and more active lives than prior generations imagined.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
"How much this will impact the overall process of recovering our bilateral relations from the profound crisis they're currently in, it is premature to say."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
On relationships, Gates stressed that AI can be an echo-chamber, which could have profound effects on children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
A defense industry source told me that the “shock and grief” of Dolly’s death was so profound that it lit up military communications channels.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
This shift, she noted, had profound consequences for the future of racial justice advocacy; in fact, it was debilitating to the movement.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
It insists that art is not propaganda, and Ukrainians need something else from their museums, something profounder, than a restatement of what they already know.
From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2022
But Jarecki seems to want more, something deeper and profounder.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2018
It isn't elitist to think that Four Quartets is chewier, profounder and more artful than If or The Song of Hiawatha: it is simply common sense.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 10, 2011
Or, as Frank notes while dealing with a particularly difficult couple in Independence Day, “a profounder text runs beneath all realty decisions.”
From Newsweek
To Gore she was a study, of profounder interest than any book he knew.
From Mariquita A Novel by John Ayscough
“Archangel” is the most towering presence in “Charles Ray: Figure Ground,” opening this weekend, which introduces a new generation to America’s profoundest and most challenging sculptor — as well as its slowest.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2022
Perhaps the stage of life that play can have its profoundest impact is towards the end.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2022
The 95-51 score against Oklahoma that ensued became the profoundest romp in all the Final Fours.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2018
He added, “I’m trying in my poetry to investigate the profoundest difficulties of acceptance that I can find.”
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 15, 2016
I watched with the profoundest satisfaction as five days of grime ran down my legs and out the drainhole, and noticed with astonished gratitude that my body had taken on a noticeably svelter profile.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
