profundity

[ pruh-fuhn-di-tee ]

noun

, plural pro·fun·di·ties

1. the quality or state of being profound; depth.
2. Usually profundities. profound or deep matters.
3. a profoundly deep place; abyss.

Word History and Origins

Origin of profundity¹

1375–1425; late Middle English profundite < Late Latin profunditās. See profound, -ity

Example Sentences

Recognizing, as he did, the profundity of humor, he might have said the same about death.

From Los Angeles Times

That also meant we could pick apart the smallest details about each scene to amplify some sense of profundity that, truth be told, probably wasn’t there in the first place.

From Salon

Unlike “Black Swan,” the darkly funny “Abigail” — which follows a band of kidnappers as they discover that their prisoner, supposedly an adolescent ballet student, is actually a centuries-old vampire — doesn’t aim for profundity.

From New York Times

As I wrote last year, Bankman-Fried exploited the vacuity of crypto by slathering it over with what sounded like profundities but were vacuous at their core.

From Los Angeles Times

Musgraves’ is once again paving her own path: her country has become folk, her songs are pretty and delicate with lyrics that find profundity in mundanity.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• solidity
• sophistication