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

To harness those resources, however, the region will have to overcome profound infrastructure deficits, strengthen the rule of law, and accelerate regional integration. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

There is something very profound about seeing the work become part of a history much larger than my own. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026

GLP-1s have a profound effect on weight, metabolic health, and inflammation, beyond what many people can accomplish with diet changes alone. — Jamie Ducharme, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026

This shift from just hating and tormenting Mozart, and expanding that rage against God and his own mediocrity is what makes this play so profound and distinctive. — Doni Wilson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Sep. 2026