profound
/pɹəˈfaʊnd/ · pro·found
noun
- The deep; the sea; the ocean. The ship vanished into the profound, never to be seen again.
- An abyss. He stared into the profound and felt a chill run down his spine.
verb
- To cause to sink deeply; to cause to dive or penetrate far down. The heavy anchor profounded the soft seabed, embedding itself firmly.
- To dive deeply; to penetrate. She profounded into the archival records to uncover the truth.
adjective
- Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep. The profound canyon cut through the mountains like a scar.
- Very deep; very serious. He felt a profound sorrow after hearing the news.
- Intellectually deep; entering far into subjects; reaching to the bottom of a matter, or of a branch of learning; thorough. Her profound analysis of the treaty impressed the diplomatic panel.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Did you know? The word “profound” appears in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where Hamlet describes “the profoundest grief” to convey the depth of his sorrow.