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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
Earlier this month, detectives went to Utah and surreptitiously obtained a DNA sample from Gideon Castro – which tests showed matched the DNA profile taken from the shorts, Thoemmes said. Ray Sanchez, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025 No Florida publications were included, as the purpose of the analysis was to look at DeSantis' national media profile. Susan Merriam, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
Advertisers and trackers do their best to profile you, to drown you in ads targeting your interests. PCMAG, 7 Jan. 2025 In 2017, Times photographer Francine Orr and I profiled Ruffin and his work with the Hollywood 14, a gravely disabled group of homeless people with severe physical and mental illness. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for profile 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profile
Noun
  • Yet no political system can erase the contours of the earth itself, and the wild geography of my hometown shaped me as much as Soviet conformity.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Memory of a Broken Dimension uses glitch textures laid on top of pitch-black spaces as a way to light the contours of the world’s abstract shapes.
    Yussef Cole, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The Outer Space Treaty outlines principles for the peaceful exploration and use of outer space and celestial bodies.
    Wayne N White Jr, The Conversation, 31 Jan. 2025
  • That May Not Be Enough To that end, Hancock meticulously outlined the first hour of the movie and started writing.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • While Marc recommends a once-per-month deep-cleansing facial to keep your skin in top shape, models are continuing their skin care through fashion week’s next three destinations: London, Milan, and Paris.
    India Espy-Jones, Essence, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Roughly one-third of fourth graders could not identify whole numbers nor lines of symmetry in shapes, while nearly half could not determine familiar words using context clues.
    Meira Gebel, Axios, 30 Jan. 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
  • Elliotte smiled wide for the camera, while Bennett was pictured crying.
    Kayla Grant, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025
  • His most expensive sale came on Jan. 17, when his 1999 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor rookie numbered to 25 with a PSA 8 grade and a population count of only one (pictured above) sold for $3,500.
    Larry Holder, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Muslim architects, engineers, and artisans led the world in their understanding of geometry, optics, woodworking, mining, metalwork, stone carving, and other fields.
    David Conrads, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025
  • All the work to that point had been done using the design rules—transistor and circuit geometries—for the existing 65-nanometer node rather than a future 45-nanometer node.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Betting in baseball is particularly shameful given the league’s history with the Black Sox (1919) and Pete Rose (1990) scandals and given that betting on games played by one’s own team can trigger a lifetime ban.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Jan. 2025
  • And if a patient has a history of anxiety, their provider will typically be even quicker to assume that physical symptoms are a recurrence, rather than a sign of something new.
    Angela Haupt, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The camper configuration hinges on a narrow three-seat rear bench that fits neatly next to the driver-side camping equipment.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The final model, the Boeing 747-8 manufactured through 2023, can accommodate up to 467 in three-class configuration, or 660 passengers in an all-economy configuration.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near profile

Cite this Entry

“Profile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profile. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

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