Standard Lemma guide

profundity

noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • prəfŭn′dĭtē
  • /pɹəˈfʌndɪti/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪti

1

noun

Meaning 1

The state of being profound; magnitude, gravity, or intensity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The situation's profundity escaped most observers.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: profoundness

Antonyms: shallowness, triviality

2

noun

Meaning 2

Deep intellect or insight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: brilliance, genius
  • Unfortunately, Andrew's colossal ego means people miss his profundity.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: profoundness, brilliance, genius

Antonyms: stupidity

3

noun

Meaning 3

A great depth; a deep place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncommon, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonym: abyss
  • I delved the abyssal profundities of Neptune's realm.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abyss

Antonyms: shoal, shallow

4

noun

Meaning 4

Depth; the state of possessing great downwards extent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deepness

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

intellectual depth; penetrating knowledge; keen insight; etc

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the depth of my feeling
  • the profoundness of the silence

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: profoundness

Antonyms: superficiality

Broader terms: depth

6

noun

Meaning 6

the quality of being physically deep

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the profundity of the mine was almost a mile

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deepness, profoundness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: depth, deepness

Narrower terms: bottomlessness

7

noun

Meaning 7

the intellectual ability to penetrate deeply into ideas

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: astuteness, profoundness, depth, deepness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wisdom, sapience

8

noun

Meaning 8

wisdom that is recondite and abstruse and profound

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the anthropologist was impressed by the reconditeness of the native proverbs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: reconditeness, abstruseness, abstrusity, profoundness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wisdom

History

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English profundite, from Middle French profondite or its etymon Latin profunditās; by surface analysis, prof(o)und + ity. Compare profoundness.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: дълбочина (dǎlbočina) — state of being profound
  • Latin: profunditās — state of being profound
  • Portuguese: profundidade — state of being profound
  • Spanish: profundidad — state of being profound
  • Ottoman Turkish: دریڭلك (deriñlik) — state of being profound
  • Bulgarian: проникновеност (proniknovenost) — deep intellect or insight
  • Latin: profunditās — deep intellect or insight
  • Spanish: profundidad — deep intellect or insight
  • Bulgarian: дълбочина (dǎlbočina) — great depth
  • Hungarian: mélység — great depth
  • Latin: profunditās — great depth
  • Portuguese: profundeza — great depth