PROFILE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'profile' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of profile are contour , outline , and silhouette . While all these words mean "the line that bounds and gives form to something," profile suggests a varied and sharply defined outline against a lighter background. // a portrait of her face in profile

Q: Where would 'contour' be a reasonable alternative to 'profile'?

The synonyms contour and profile are sometimes interchangeable, but contour stresses the quality of an outline or a bounding surface as being smooth, jagged, curving, or sharply angled. // a car with flowing contours

Q: When might 'outline' be a better fit than 'profile'?

While the synonyms outline and profile are close in meaning, outline applies to a line marking the outer limits or edges of a body or mass. // traced the outline of his hand

Q: When could 'silhouette' be used to replace 'profile'?

In some situations, the words silhouette and profile are roughly equivalent. However, silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined. // photograph in silhouette against a bright sky

profile 1 of 2

noun

Definition of profile

as in contour

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Dissimilar Words

as in character sketch

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profile

2 of 2

verb

as in to outline

to produce a representation of the shape of the head as seen from the side his likeness was profiled against a background of vegetation

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How does the noun profile differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of profile are contour, outline, and silhouette. While all these words mean "the line that bounds and gives form to something," profile suggests a varied and sharply defined outline against a lighter background.

a portrait of her face in profile

Where would contour be a reasonable alternative to profile?

The synonyms contour and profile are sometimes interchangeable, but contour stresses the quality of an outline or a bounding surface as being smooth, jagged, curving, or sharply angled.

a car with flowing contours

When might outline be a better fit than profile?

While the synonyms outline and profile are close in meaning, outline applies to a line marking the outer limits or edges of a body or mass.

traced the outline of his hand

When could silhouette be used to replace profile?

In some situations, the words silhouette and profile are roughly equivalent. However, silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined.

photograph in silhouette against a bright sky

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of profile

Noun

Each has a unique profile that loosely coordinates with some of LAFCO's most popular home scents -- but fear not, you won't be left smelling like a candle. — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 14 July 2026 The brand’s low-profile 204L, along with the retro-futuristic Abzorb 2000 and Abzorb 2010, have all had varying degrees of success at retail and on the secondary resale market. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 July 2026

Verb

In 2025, Reid used Smith in the backfield, in the slot and out wide, and the additions of Walker and Demercado mean Smith should profile more as a package weapon and receiver in 2026. — Kansas City Star, 11 July 2026 Flight 13 will give SpaceX a chance to demonstrate that descent profile again using Ship 40, while also working through the booster and engine issues encountered during Flight 12. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for profile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for profile

Noun

Trying to perfect and smooth every contour of the face with injectables or fat grafting leads to patients’ heads getting larger and larger over the course of a few years.

— Ingrid Schmidt, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
Low piano notes gather tentatively; sostenuto woodwinds hover just above ground level; a rainstick adds contour and shading.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026

Definition of contour

Verb

Warsh made his mark during his first meeting as chair in June, holding rates steady while outlining changes to the central bank's approach.

— Michelle Fox, CNBC, 15 July 2026
According to reporting by The Sacramento Bee, the new hiring protocol will allow managers to outline criteria for their ideal candidate and sort applications based on those measures.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of outline

Noun

What differentiates Ammortal from the glut of wellness and optimization products on the market, according to its charismatic and observably in-shape founder, is the promise of a more all-encompassing experience of physical and mental restoration.

— Jake Nevins, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
The compatibility between their shapes allows lactase to break lactose apart into its simple sugar components, which are more easily managed by the digestive system.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026

Definition of shape

Noun

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who died on July 12, died as the man most obituaries call the architect of modern Qatar.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
He was nominated for numerous awards and won an Angeles Ovation award and a Theater World Award, according to the obituary.

— Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026

Definition of obituary

Verb

That was the case for the family of Lê Thị Xuân and Yoshiharu Shimizu (whose Vietnamese name is Nguyễn Văn Đức), who had two sons and one daughter, pictured above.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
The England international was instead pictured on a training bike at Manchester City, with his loan move having expired at the start of the month.

— Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of picture

Noun

Their geometry implies a reassuring sense of something permanent—and permanently right—about a deeply American scene, along with white clapboard houses, red barns, rolling hills, goldenrod.

— Matt Seaton, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
An impossible philosophy passage and a confounding geometry proof.

— Min Jin Lee, New Yorker, 19 July 2026

Definition of geometry

Noun

Shinto was formally separated from the state after World War II, but its traditions still reflect a broader history of religious and cultural influences.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
The Jules Rimet Trophy — named after the former FIFA president following his death in 1956 — had an astonishing history.

— Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 19 July 2026

Definition of history

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proficients

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“Profile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profile. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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