PROFILE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'profile' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of profile are contour , outline , and silhouette . While all these words mean "the line that bounds and gives form to something," profile suggests a varied and sharply defined outline against a lighter background. // a portrait of her face in profile

Q: Where would 'contour' be a reasonable alternative to 'profile'?

The synonyms contour and profile are sometimes interchangeable, but contour stresses the quality of an outline or a bounding surface as being smooth, jagged, curving, or sharply angled. // a car with flowing contours

Q: When might 'outline' be a better fit than 'profile'?

While the synonyms outline and profile are close in meaning, outline applies to a line marking the outer limits or edges of a body or mass. // traced the outline of his hand

Q: When could 'silhouette' be used to replace 'profile'?

In some situations, the words silhouette and profile are roughly equivalent. However, silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined. // photograph in silhouette against a bright sky

profile 1 of 2

noun

Definition of profile next

as in contour

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in character sketch

Synonyms & Similar Words

profile

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verb

as in to outline

to produce a representation of the shape of the head as seen from the side his likeness was profiled against a background of vegetation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun profile differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of profile are contour, outline, and silhouette. While all these words mean "the line that bounds and gives form to something," profile suggests a varied and sharply defined outline against a lighter background.

a portrait of her face in profile

Where would contour be a reasonable alternative to profile?

The synonyms contour and profile are sometimes interchangeable, but contour stresses the quality of an outline or a bounding surface as being smooth, jagged, curving, or sharply angled.

a car with flowing contours

When might outline be a better fit than profile?

While the synonyms outline and profile are close in meaning, outline applies to a line marking the outer limits or edges of a body or mass.

traced the outline of his hand

When could silhouette be used to replace profile?

In some situations, the words silhouette and profile are roughly equivalent. However, silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined.

photograph in silhouette against a bright sky

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of profile

Noun

For instance, someone using cannabis as an alternative to traditional medicine may need a specific cannabinoid profile, while a recreational user might prioritize flavor and potency. —

Red Rodriguez, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024 The big picture: Commerce has grown significantly in importance and prominence since Wilbur Ross led the department during Trump's first administration, with a higher public profile thanks to Secretary Gina Raimondo and the CHIPS Act. —

Maria Curi, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024

Verb

In this engrossing New Yorker profile, Tad Friend profiles Glenn Horowitz, a top dealer of rare books and manuscripts who built a fortune selling the archives of famous writers and celebrities such as Vladimir Nabokov, Alice Walker, and Bob Dylan. —

Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 22 Oct. 2024 Several outlaw-loving drivers are also profiled, including Luftgekühlt cofounders Patrick Long and Jeff Zwart, designer Carl Magnusson, musician John Oates, and personality Magnus Walker. —

Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for profile

Recent Examples of Synonyms for profile

Noun

The instrument is often mounted on a plane and used to map ground contours through dense foliage.

ByAndrew Lawler, science.org, 23 Oct. 2024
Under David Cromer’s gentle and meticulous direction, Edwards and Flood build out the emotional contours of this unlikely pair of comrade-combatants moment by moment and scene by scene, taking just seventy short minutes to ping us straight in the heart.

Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024