Synonyms of profile

profile 1 of 2

noun

1

as in contour

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contour
• outline
• shape
• geometry
• configuration
• silhouette
• form
• frame
• fashion
• framework
• conformation
• organization
• cast
• shell
• figure
• plan
• design
• pattern
• skeleton
• format
• setup
• layout
• arrangement
• makeup

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• material
• composition
• matter
• substance
• stuff
• raw material

2

as in character sketch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• character sketch
• obituary
• history
• past
• chronicle
• biography
• story
• bio
• psychobiography
• pathography
• autobiography
• hagiography
• tell-all
• memoir
• life

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• outline
• picture
• draw
• cartoon
• caricature
• ink
• pencil
• sketch
• crayon
• scribble
• scrawl

Synonym Chooser

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

Recent Examples of profile

Noun

Blonde or brunette, balayage or baby lights, chemical or heat damage, whatever your current follicular profile, Olaplex No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner's got your back (or, err, your ponytail?). —Sophia Panych, Allure, 15 May 2025

In 2023, the case was re-examined in an attempt to identify an unknown male DNA profile collected in the case. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 15 May 2025

Verb

For this week’s New York Issue, Julian Lucas profiles an artist whose work has always invited the viewer to look again—and look harder. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 9 May 2025

Jaleel McLaughlin is built like a third-down back but doesn’t profile like one. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 May 2025