Definitions Related words Phrases Mentions Lyrics History Colors (New!)

Literary notes about profoundly (AI summary)

Authors employ "profoundly" as an intensifier that enriches the narrative by emphasizing depth and significance in varied contexts. It is often used to amplify emotions and inner states, suggesting a deep-seated feeling of unhappiness, astonishment, or introspection—as in the portrayal of a character’s inner sorrow or meditative silence [1, 2, 3, 4]. The adverb also underscores the extent of intellectual achievement, religious fervor, or artistic sensitivity, lending weight to descriptions of someone's learned nature or cultural devotion [5, 6, 7]. Beyond the emotional and intellectual realms, "profoundly" is applied to physical conditions and states of being, from the deep calm of an environment to the intensity of sleep or astonishment that alters the character’s behavior [8, 9, 10]. This usage, prevalent across diverse literary works, invites readers to appreciate the magnitude of the experience or quality being depicted.
  1. She never complains, but I can tell that she is profoundly unhappy; not a line but speaks to me of an aching, breaking nerve.
    — from The Sea-Gull by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  2. Mrs. Wyatt had been closely veiled; and when she raised her veil, in acknowledging my bow, I confess that I was very profoundly astonished.
    — from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe
  3. As she spoke these words, two big tears rolled down her cheeks, and her face dropped; I was profoundly moved.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  4. The attitude in which he rested his menaced eyes was profoundly meditative.
    — from The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale by Joseph Conrad
  5. His people are like the other Hindoos, profoundly religious; and they could not be content with a master who was impure.
    — from Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain
  6. Milton was the child of the Renaissance, inheritor of all its culture, and the most profoundly educated man of his age.
    — from English Literature by William J. Long
  7. On the central dais in the ashram hall sat a blind sadhu, Pragla Chakshu, profoundly learned in the shastras and highly revered by all sects.
    — from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
  8. The ambassador was out, so I left the letter with Manucci, and then drove home and slept profoundly for twelve hours.
    — from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
  9. But all was profoundly hushed in the noonday stillness of a house, where an invalid catches the unrefreshing sleep that is denied to the night-hours.
    — from North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
  10. We remained profoundly still, speechless with surprise.
    — from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

More usage examples

Also see: Google, News, Images, Wikipedia, Reddit, BlueSky


Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Random word   Help


Color thesaurus

Use OneLook to find colors for words and words for colors

See an example

Literary notes

Use OneLook to learn how words are used by great writers

See an example

Word games

Try our innovative vocabulary games

Play Now

Read the latest OneLook newsletter issue: Threepeat Redux