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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

Example 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
Online Florida Department of Health license profiles say this is the first disciplinary action against the license Simmons has held since Oct. 22, 2018, and no action has posted against New Life. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2025 Reuters confirmed his attendance at Berkeley, but was unable to verify other details in his profile. Alexandra Alper and Raphael Satter, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
When Ichiro won his first NPB batting title in 1994, he was profiled by both the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025 The couple alleges that they were racially profiled by employees of the airline after Williams, a Black man, was accused of trafficking his own wife, Shasholka, a Russian national. Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for profile 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profile
Noun
  • Essentially, the tufts of tiny hairs on gecko feet get so close to the contours in walls and ceilings that electrons from the gecko hair molecules and electrons from the wall molecules interact with each other and create an electromagnetic attraction.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Lidar emits laser pulses from an aircraft, allowing for images that penetrate vegetation and reveal the contours beneath.
    Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • This would mean all hostages who are still believed to be alive and who were supposed to be released in the deal's first phase would be released in the coming days, faster than originally outlined in the agreement.
    Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Disney’s chief human resources officer Sonia Coleman outlined changes to the company’s DEI efforts in a memo to leadership Tuesday.
    Jennifer Maas, Variety, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Retail corridors in Fulton Market, Wicker Park and Bucktown are in good shape.
    Fritz Kaegi, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
  • The precise calibration of branch diameter leads to a hallmark of fractal shapes called scale invariance.
    Mitchell Newberry, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • According to an obituary, Kim worked with a nonprofit organization that rescues and transports dogs from overcrowded shelters to loving homes.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025
  • DeVante was born and raised in Kansas City, according to an obituary shared by relatives.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Since confirming her romance with Patrick’s teammate Kelce, 35, in October 2023, Swift has been pictured with Brittany on multiple occasions.
    Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025
  • President Donald Trump speaks at a joint news conference with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May (not pictured) in London, Britain, June 4, 2019.
    Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Steel Nomad's regular and Light subtests focus on APIs more commonly used for game development, like Metal and DirectX 12, to assess gaming geometry and particle effects.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 10 Feb. 2025
  • These days, most manufacturers provide a size guide on the geometry tab of their website; this is a reliable indicator for most people.
    Seb Stott, Outside Online, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Nyle DiMarco & Davis Guggenheim; 2024; USA; 100 min Over eight intense days in 1988, a student protest at the world’s only deaf university changed the course of history.
    Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025
  • Ware, who the Heat selected with the 15th overall in the 2024 Draft, is the sixth different Heat player in franchise history to earn the Rookie of the Month honor.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The Windows and macOS editions include a Social Network Privacy scanner that checks for configuration problems in Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter).
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 3 Feb. 2025
  • New sounds: Check out these new musical instruments The standard configuration of the symphony orchestra has remained mostly unchanged for the past century.
    David Morgan, CBS News, 1 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near profile

Cite this Entry

“Profile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profile. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

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