profoundly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of profoundly
Explanation
If you’re profoundly moved by the last chapter of that novel you’re reading, then you’re extremely moved — you feel it deep in your soul. The adverb profoundly means something similar to “extremely,” with the additional sense that it’s something intense and deeply felt. If you’re profoundly confused, you’re very confused — confused in a way that seems bottomless. The word can also describe something that affects you greatly. If you’re profoundly influenced by the works of Shakespeare, that means his writing shaped the whole way you think about writing, whether you're working on plays, limericks, love letters.
Vocabulary lists containing profoundly
Tuck Everlasting
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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
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"The Latehomecomer" by Kao Kalia Yang
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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.
They said they had faced a "profoundly sad ordeal".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
When DeepSeek was launched, it suddenly impacted American AI companies profoundly because of the apparent cost benefits.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Shabbos whispers a quiet but profoundly countercultural truth: Your worth isn’t measured by your productivity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
It is a development that could profoundly reshape how the economy operates, according to an analysis by Steven Ruggles, a leading demographer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
I spoke to witches from a world like ours, but profoundly different, for those witches live no longer than our short-lifes, and there are men among them, too, men-witches who fly as we do....”
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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.
