profound

[ pruh-found ]

/ prəˈfaʊnd /

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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.

Nearby words

Origin of profound

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

SYNONYMS FOR profound

1 deep, sagacious.

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ANTONYMS FOR profound

1 shallow, superficial.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The Republican base is profoundly larger than it was in 1964.
This Republican Loved Taxes & Modern Art|Scott Porch|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
It bores me profoundly, but it would bore me more to feel unkempt.
The Lady of the Basement Flat|Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
The most profoundly sympathetic, vivid and true portrait of Byron ever drawn.
The Millionaire Baby|Anna Katharine Green
Not having a heart of stone, I was so profoundly touched, that I would have tried to resume the subject.
My Miscellanies, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Wilkie Collins
Very beautifully and profoundly does the psalmist ask, in vv.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Volume III|Alexander Maclaren
He was profoundly moved; his strong voice trembled, and his words came slowly.
Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From Home|Bayard Taylor

British Dictionary definitions for profoundly

profound

/ (prəˈfaʊnd) /

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.

profound

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

noun Literary.

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Origin of profound

Examples from the Web for profoundly

British Dictionary definitions for profoundly

profound

adjective

noun

Word Origin for profound

Word Origin and History for profoundly

profound