Adjacent Words

Profound definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROFOUND', a. [L.profundus; pro and fundus, bottom. See Found.]
1. Deep; descending or being far below the surface, or far below the adjacent places; as a gulf profound.
2. Intellectually deep; that enters deeply into subjects; not superficial or obvious to the mind; as a profound investigation; profound reasoning; a profound treatise.
3. Humble; very lowly; submissive; as a profound reverence for the Supreme Being.
4. Penetrating deeply into science or any branch of learning; as a profound scholar; a profound mathematician; a profound historian.
5. Deep in skill or contrivance.
The revolters are profound to make slaughter. Hosea 5.
6. Having hidden qualities.
Upon the corner of the moon
There hangs a vap'rous drop profound.
PROFOUND', n. The deep; the sea; the ocean; as the vast profound.
1. The abyss.
I travel this profound.
PROFOUND', v.i. To dive; to penetrate. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth; "the differences are profound"; "a profound insight"; "a profound book"; "a profound mind"; "profound contempt"; "profound regret" [ant: superficial]
2: of the greatest intensity; complete; "a profound silence"; "a state of profound shock"
3: far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something; "the fundamental revolution in human values that has occurred"; "the book underwent fundamental changes"; "committed the fundamental error of confusing spending with extravagance"; "profound social changes" [syn: fundamental, profound]
4: coming from deep within one; "a profound sigh"
5: (of sleep) deep and complete; "a heavy sleep"; "fell into a profound sleep"; "a sound sleeper"; "deep wakeless sleep" [syn: heavy, profound, sound, wakeless]
6: situated at or extending to great depth; too deep to have been sounded or plumbed; "the profound depths of the sea"; "the dark unfathomed caves of ocean"-Thomas Gray; "unplumbed depths of the sea"; "remote and unsounded caverns" [syn: profound, unfathomed, unplumbed, unsounded]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French parfunt, profond deep, from Latin profundus, from pro- before + fundus bottom — more at pro-, bottom Date: 14th century 1. a. having intellectual depth and insight b. difficult to fathom or understand 2. a. extending far below the surface b. coming from, reaching to, or situated at a depth ; deep-seated <a profound sigh> 3. a. characterized by intensity of feeling or quality b. all encompassing ; complete <profound sleep> <profound deafness> • profoundly adverb • profoundness noun II. noun Date: 1621 archaic something that is very deep; specifically the depths of the sea

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. (profounder, profoundest) 1 a having or showing great knowledge or insight (a profound treatise). b demanding deep study or thought (profound doctrines). 2 (of a state or quality) deep, intense, unqualified (a profound sleep; profound indifference). 3 at or extending to a great depth (profound crevasses). 4 (of a sigh) deep-drawn. 5 (of a disease) deep-seated. --n. (prec. by the) poet. the vast depth (of the ocean, soul, etc.). Derivatives: profoundly adv. profoundness n. profundity n. (pl. -ies). Etymology: ME f. AF & OF profund, profond f. L profundus deep (as PRO-(1), fundus bottom)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profound Pro*found", v. t. To cause to sink deeply; to cause to dive or penetrate far down. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profound Pro*found", v. i. To dive deeply; to penetrate. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profound Pro*found", a. [F. profond, L. profundus; pro before, forward + fundus the bottom. See Found to establish, Bottom lowest part.] 1. Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to a great depth; deep. ``A gulf profound.'' --Milton. 2. Intellectually deep; entering far into subjects; reaching to the bottom of a matter, or of a branch of learning; thorough; as, a profound investigation or treatise; a profound scholar; profound wisdom. 3. Characterized by intensity; deeply felt; pervading; overmastering; far-reaching; strongly impressed; as, a profound sleep. ``Profound sciatica.'' --Shak. Of the profound corruption of this class there can be no doubt. --Milman. 4. Bending low, exhibiting or expressing deep humility; lowly; submissive; as, a profound bow. What humble gestures! What profound reverence! --Duppa.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profound Pro*found", n. 1. The deep; the sea; the ocean. God in the fathomless profound Hath all this choice commanders drowned. --Sandys. 2. An abyss. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(profounder, profoundest) 1. You use profound to emphasize that something is very great or intense. ...discoveries which had a profound effect on many areas of medicine. ...profound disagreement... Anna's patriotism was profound. ADJ [emphasis] • profoundly This has profoundly affected my life... ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj/-ed 2. A profound idea, work, or person shows great intellectual depth and understanding. This is a book full of profound, original and challenging insights. ? shallow ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Deep, fathomless, abysmal. 2. Penetrating, sagacious, skilled, intellectually deep. 3. Lively, vivid, strong, deep-felt, far-reaching, touching. 4. Lowly, humble, submissive, low-bending, very low. 5. Mysterious, occult, abstruse, obscure, recondite. 6. Thorough, complete. 7. Deep-fetched. II. n. 1. The deep, the abyss. 2. Sea, ocean.

Moby Thesaurus

Atlantean, Brobdingnagian, Cyclopean, Gargantuan, Herculean, Homeric, absolute, absorbing, abstract, abstruse, abysmal, acute, analytical, ankle-deep, arcane, arrant, astronomic, astute, awful, broad-minded, cabbalistic, civilized, classical, colossal, complete, consummate, crass, cryptic, cultivated, cultured, decided, deep, deep-cut, deep-down, deep-engraven, deep-felt, deep-fixed, deep-laid, deep-lying, deep-reaching, deep-rooted, deep-seated, deep-set, deep-settled, deep-sinking, deep-sunk, deep-sunken, deepgoing, deepish, deepsome, definitive, discerning, downright, educated, egregious, elephantine, encyclopedic, enigmatic, enormous, epic, erudite, esoteric, extreme, flagrant, giant, giantlike, gigantic, glaring, great, gross, hard, heartfelt, heavy, hermetic, heroic, hidden, homefelt, huge, immense, incomprehensible, indecipherable, indelible, infinite, informed, inscrutable, insightful, intellectual, intense, intolerable, intricate, involved, jumbo, keen, knee-deep, knotty, knowing, knowledgeable, learned, lettered, literate, mammoth, mighty, monster, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, mysterious, mystifying, obscure, occult, out-and-out, outright, overpowering, overwhelming, pansophic, penetrating, perfect, pervading, piercing, poignant, polyhistoric, polymath, polymathic, positive, precious, prodigious, pronounced, proper, puzzling, rank, recondite, regular, sagacious, sage, sapient, scholarly, scholastic, secret, sharp, shattering, shocking, sincere, stark, stark-staring, studious, stupendous, subtle, superlative, surpassing, terrible, the veriest, thorough, thoroughgoing, titanic, total, towering, transcendental, tremendous, tricky, unbearable, unconscionable, undeniable, unequivocal, unfathomable, unmitigated, unqualified, unrelieved, unspoiled, utter, vast, well-informed, well-read, wise, wise as Solomon