1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
a profound silence fell over the audience after the last note had sounded
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in esoteric
difficult for one of ordinary knowledge or intelligence to understand
a profound observation about good and evil that few listeners fully grasped
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3
as in sheer
having no exceptions or restrictions
a profound dislike of frauds and phonies
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4
as in deep
extending far downward
with eyes wide with disbelief, the explorers made their way through a canyon more profound than any they had ever imagined
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of profound
Many people see that AI is a major technological shift and will have profound effects on our economy.
—
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Christian mystics throughout the centuries—Smith writes, for instance, of the 16th century’s Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross, among many others—explored the ways in which retreating into solitude or letting the world slip amid silence had the potential to yield profound spiritual insights.
—Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
The memo laid out a different definition for profound autism than a 2022 article in The Lancet, in which profound autism was defined to include people who were minimally speaking and had an IQ below 50.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
Throughout this era of success, Burson was dealing with a profound series of medical issues that would come to shape her life and mind dramatically.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profound
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Christian mystics throughout the centuries—Smith writes, for instance, of the 16th century’s Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross, among many others—explored the ways in which retreating into solitude or letting the world slip amid silence had the potential to yield profound spiritual insights.
—Luis Parrales, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
The memo laid out a different definition for profound autism than a 2022 article in The Lancet, in which profound autism was defined to include people who were minimally speaking and had an IQ below 50.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 28 Apr. 2026
Throughout this era of success, Burson was dealing with a profound series of medical issues that would come to shape her life and mind dramatically.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profound
Adjective
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By the final showdown, the production has made use of every bit of stage space, with sensational flying sequences (choreographed by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant) that allow the vampires to float, hover, and—in one especially intense moment—dive from that bridge.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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The moment has sparked an outpouring of empathy, with many pointing to the intense pressure drivers face on the job.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some conversations took a more esoteric turn.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
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As esoteric as its collection may seem, the bookstore itself makes exploration approachable.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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What strikes fear into the hearts of overseas rivals is the sheer scale of production in China, where automakers can rely on deep domestic supply chains and have automated their factories.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
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Every year, the level of talent and sheer ability seems more outrageous.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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But for many, the occasion carried a deeper meaning, one centered on those who dreamed of connecting Los Angeles to Chicago by road generations before them.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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The songs were radiant, ecstatic, and cleansing, a deep exhale from a band freed from boardroom expectations.—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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The intensive, weeklong building sessions named after former President Jimmy Carter and his late wife Rosalynn have constructed roughly 5,000 homes in 14 countries since 1984.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
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The others, though some needed intensive treatments, are stable, the zoo said.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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In the ’90s, Garber developed a reputation for intellectual risk-taking with a series of psychoanalytically inflected books on topics including cross-dressing, real estate, and Americans’ reliance on dogs for unconditional love.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Hinckley was institutionalized for more than 30 years before the courts ruled that he’d been rehabilitated and granted him unconditional release in 2022.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This may explain why Suzanna’s mother is a somewhat indistinct presence in the novel (at least compared with fierce Sylvie)—patient, even serene behind bars, more eager to talk about her daughter’s future than about her own future, let alone her troubled past.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The Bloomberg-era street transformations weren’t popular at first, and pushback was fierce.—
Jonathan Timm,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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Everyone was right to describe the cans produced by Piero Manzoni, and dubbed Merda d’Artista, as utter crap.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2026
-
These are songs of utter persistence, of utter utterness.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profound. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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