felt or experienced very strongly or in an extreme way: His mother's death when he was aged six had a very profound effect on him. The invention of the contraceptive pill brought about profound changes in the lives of women. Those two lines of poetry express perfectly the profound sadness of loss.

The word profound can also be used to describe something that is intellectually deep. For example, an essay that is well-written and well-thought out can be described as profound, particularly if it makes points that one has not thought of prior.

The word “profound” is used when a person has a clear and deep insight, knowledge, or understanding of something or someone. You can also use the word to describe a great or intense feeling. When something is difficult to understand or requires having a pearl of deep wisdom or thought, you describe it as “profound.”