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:
The adoption of generative AI is having a profound effect on all sorts of companies.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Representing San Francisco is an extraordinary honor and a profound responsibility. My office stands ready to assist in the transition, and I wish him success in service for the people of our city,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
The Times continues "slavery was evil but we helped end it", leading with King Charles' expressing his "most profound sorrow" over the transatlantic slave trade.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
He left a profound mark on the Andean nation, which adopted him as one of its own.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
When I pointed this out to Father, he was as delighted as though I had made a profound discovery.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
It also results in the profounder album of the two.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 4, 2018
“And it’s having a much profounder effect than I conceived could happen.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2011
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
In his "Comedies of Words," Arthur Schnitzler, the great Austrian Dramatist, has penetrated to newer and profounder regions of human psychology.
From More Portmanteau Plays by Stuart Walker
He quotes Nietzsche saying, “The profoundest mind must also be the most frivolous one.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2022
That might sound painfully earnest, but the Greeks understood that our profoundest pleasures aren’t superficial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2017
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
Ruth Rendell’s favorite Austen is also “Mansfield Park,” which she calls “the fun-less one, the profoundest, the most didactic, but nevertheless the greatest.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 2, 2015
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
