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:
“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” the statement read.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Terraforming Mars would also raise profound ethical questions.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Canada and Puerto Rico, recently called humanoid robots, AI and mass automation “one of the most profound technological revolutions in our lifetimes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
This litigation machine had a profound effect on everyday life for millions of Americans, many of whom have never set foot in Texas.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
The party line is that some of the most profound truths about us are things that we stop saying in the middle, but I think they do it to make us feel important.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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
The end of all worship, all philosophic discipline, and all religious teaching is to open the way in every mind to a higher perception and a profounder conscientiousness.
From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.
He quotes Nietzsche saying, “The profoundest mind must also be the most frivolous one.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2022
They represent the nation’s id, or, in the profoundest sense, its underclass, and Marxists and Freudians alike will have years of fun with this movie.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 22, 2019
Matilda Joslyn Gage, in her treatise Woman, Church and State, hailed this local herb-woman as “the profoundest thinker, the most advanced scientist” of her age.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 7, 2018
The 95-51 score against Oklahoma that ensued became the profoundest romp in all the Final Fours.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 31, 2018
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.
