profound

[pruh-found]

See more synonyms for profound on Thesaurus.com

adjective, pro·found·er, pro·found·est.

penetrating or entering deeply into subjects of thought or knowledge; having deep insight or understanding: a profound thinker.
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.
low: a profound bow.

noun Literary.

something that is profound.
the deep sea; ocean.
depth; abyss.

Origin of profound

1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French < Latin profundus deep, vast, equivalent to pro- pro-¹ + fundus bottom (see found²)

Related formspro·found·ly, adverbpro·found·ness, nounun·pro·found, adjectiveun·pro·found·ly, adverb

Synonyms for profound

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1. deep, sagacious.

Antonyms for profound

1. shallow, superficial.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for profoundly

very, extremely, completely, greatly, thoroughly, totally, dearly

Examples from the Web for profoundly

Contemporary Examples of profoundly

Binding the resolution of my case to progress in the nuclear negotiations is profoundly unjust.
An American Marine in Iran’s Prisons Goes on Hunger Strike
IranWire
December 18, 2014
Only now, when we were able to talk frankly and at length, did I come to realize how profoundly it had affected him.
Ted Hughes’s Brother on Losing Sylvia Plath
Gerald Hughes
December 2, 2014
They profoundly question whether these programs will be available to them when they become eligible.
This Republican Loved Taxes & Modern Art
Scott Porch
November 19, 2014
The Republican base is profoundly larger than it was in 1964.
This Republican Loved Taxes & Modern Art
Scott Porch
November 19, 2014
New York is profoundly weak in engineering talent (PDF)—ranking 78th out of 85 metropolitan areas in engineers per capita.
Battle of the Upstarts: Houston vs. San Francisco Bay
Joel Kotkin
October 5, 2014

Historical Examples of profoundly

Wilson's voice showed that he was more than incredulous; he was profoundly moved.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The attitude in which he rested his menaced eyes was profoundly meditative.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
I was not profoundly convinced that this was a safe risk for me to take.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
The building was profoundly dark, and none were moving near it save themselves.
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens
Never before had she felt so profoundly the puissance of her sex.
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for profoundly

profound

adjective

penetrating deeply into subjects or ideasa profound mind
showing or requiring great knowledge or understandinga profound treatise
situated at or extending to a great depth
reaching to or stemming from the depths of one's natureprofound regret
intense or absoluteprofound silence
thoroughgoing; extensiveprofound changes

noun

archaic, or literary a great depth; abyss

Derived Formsprofoundly, adverbprofoundness or profundity (prəˈfʌndɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for profound

C14: from Old French profund, from Latin profundus deep, from pro- 1 + fundus bottom

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for profoundly

profound

adj.

c.1300, "characterized by intellectual depth," from Old French profund (12c., Modern French profond), from Latin profundus "deep, bottomless, vast," also "obscure; profound; immoderate," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + fundus "bottom" (see fund (n.)). The literal and figurative senses both were in Latin, but English, having already deep, employed this word primarily in its figurative sense. Related: Profoundly.