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:
Announcing the review on Friday, Vice-Chancellor Prof Deborah Prentice said the time since his death had been a "period of profound sadness and reflection for the university".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
A letter, signed by 26 of Plaid Cymru's 28 backbench Senedd members, was sent to the chairman of the NWJCC, Ian Green, on Monday, expressing "profound disappointment" with the decision.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
“There’s no question AI represents a profound shift in both technology and business,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote in the presentation deck.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Party money—or rather, a profound lack of it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
If such a thing occurred, “it would occasion a most profound reflection about what had gone wrong, not only with THEM, but with US.”
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
But Jarecki seems to want more, something deeper and profounder.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2018
“And it’s having a much profounder effect than I conceived could happen.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2011
He deserves such tributes, but there is a profounder, truer explanation for the wonder he excites.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 17, 2010
Or, as Frank notes while dealing with a particularly difficult couple in Independence Day, “a profounder text runs beneath all realty decisions.”
From Newsweek
Secrecy is most generally adopted to cover objectionable designs; and, the profounder the former is, the more objectionable are the latter.
From Monks, Popes, and their Political Intrigues by John Alberger
He quotes Nietzsche saying, “The profoundest mind must also be the most frivolous one.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2022
Perhaps the stage of life that play can have its profoundest impact is towards the end.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2022
Not only had one of the longest, profoundest stories in sports found its loftiest chapter, but women’s tennis had found its finest Open era player.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 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
It was an odd manuscript; in the midst of the profoundest personal tragedy, sinking into economic ruin, he wrote brilliantly funny columns.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
