Synonyms of profound

profound

adjective

prə-ˈfau̇nd 

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

• intense
• intensive
• deep
• fierce
• terrible
• ferocious
• heavy
• acute
• furious
• violent
• explosive
• exquisite
• vicious
• fearful
• dreadful
• excruciating
• frightful
• vehement
• ghastly
• blistering
• fearsome
• keen
• hard
• heavy-duty
• intensified
• almighty
• heightened
• harsh
• severe
• hellacious
• aggravated
• concentrated
• enhanced
• deepened
• magnified
• thorough
• exhaustive
• stressed
• accentuated
• emphasized
• rigorous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• light
• moderate
• soft
• weak
• feeble
• superficial
• shallow
• qualified
• decreased
• eased
• moderated
• diminished
• toned (down)
• subdued
• reduced
• lightened
• alleviated
• lessened
• abated

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• esoteric
• deep
• ambiguous
• scholarly
• recondite
• abstruse
• hermetic
• arcane
• mystical
• confusing
• complicated
• academic
• complex
• enigmatic
• mystic
• mysterious
• erudite
• learned
• cryptic
• uncanny
• unfathomable
• incomprehensible
• inscrutable
• unintelligible
• perplexing
• pedantic
• baffling
• puzzling
• unanswerable
• unknowable
• confounding
• impenetrable
• hard
• disorienting
• orphic
• mystifying
• bewildering
• darkling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• superficial
• simple
• shallow
• easy
• straightforward
• obvious
• understandable
• apparent
• intelligible
• comprehensible
• evident
• distinct
• clear
• facile
• manifest
• plain
• lucid
• transparent
• fathomable
• clear-cut
• perspicuous

3

as in sheer

having no exceptions or restrictions

a profound dislike of frauds and phonies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sheer
• unconditional
• utter
• simple
• absolute
• complete
• pure
• total
• definite
• very
• outright
• real
• perfect
• damn
• huge
• damned
• deadly
• thorough
• thoroughgoing
• unmitigated
• stark
• categorical
• dreadful
• endless
• downright
• unadulterated
• unqualified
• constant
• genuine
• blank
• regular
• crashing
• consummate
• clean
• fair
• eternal
• plumb
• horrible
• unalloyed
• flat-out
• terrible
• blooming
• extreme
• straight-out
• rank
• bodacious
• out-and-out
• flat
• perpetual
• dead
• extraordinary
• authentic
• arrant
• stone
• all-out
• veritable
• classic
• unremitting
• undying
• hopeless
• main
• terrific
• supreme
• unrestricted
• confirmed
• habitual
• frightful
• superlative
• inveterate
• surpassing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• uncertain
• doubtful
• questionable
• dubious
• restricted
• qualified
• equivocal

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deep
• vast
• bottomless
• unfathomable
• abysmal
• immeasurable
• infinite
• endless
• boundless
• inestimable
• limitless
• unlimited
• abyssal
• measureless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• superficial
• surface
• shallow
• level
• smooth
• limited
• even
• skin-deep
• horizontal
• flat
• depthless
• shoal
• finite
• confined
• two-dimensional
• plane
• flush
• restricted
• measured

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of profound

Even fewer have the potential to do something profound and ignite a new narrative about a place that shifts how an entire neighborhood, city, or even a country is preceived from the outside in. — Peter Lane Taylor, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Climate change will continue to exacerbate conflict long after the guns fall silent, with profound implications for human security, national stability, and international peace. — Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026

This has, inevitably, had a profound impact on him and those closest to him. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 July 2026

Being called today to represent Polimoda, an institution that for 40 years has carried the prestige and name of our city onto the international stage, is a source of profound pride and responsibility. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 9 July 2026