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.
Mr. Theroux’s Canadian odyssey is unlike the other two, being profoundly personal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
It was because, underneath all of it, was a profoundly human belief that we are capable of becoming something better.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
"Birds differ in personalities, neurons vary in shape, and even our social relationships can be asymmetric. These differences might appear random, but they can profoundly affect how the whole system behaves."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
For one, the period of freer trade that accompanied the creation of the WTO in 1995 has profoundly changed the world economy, and in particular raised the relative importance of China and other developing economies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
In the early 1980s, the Coca-Cola Company was profoundly nervous about its future.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
