profile 1 of 2

noun

Definition of profilenext
1
as in contour

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in character sketch

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profile

2 of 2

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

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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
Boller’s performance raised her profile—her previously marginal X account increased its following 20-fold. —Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026 Known as the Premium Super Lowpro Trainer, the recent release adds subtle — and some not-so-subtle — changes to the low-profile design. —Riley Jones, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
Agents across the country are reportedly racially profiling Latinos, and anyone who is not white. —Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026 For her Future Leaders profile, Meier had the opportunity to go behind the scenes during a regular medical check-up on a grizzly bear. —Libby Smith, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for profile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profile
  1. contour
  2. outline
  3. shape
  4. obituary
  5. picture
  6. geometry
  7. history
  8. configuration
Noun
  • Lee recommends building depth with a natural-toned contour on the upper and lower lip line, right at the center.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 6 Feb. 2026
  • These usually have a cradling design to contour to the body.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of contour
Verb
  • Conversations focus on outlining options, trade‑offs, and longer‑term considerations in a manner that feels clear and manageable.
    — Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Decluttering expert Katy Wells outlines the top spaces that need attention and how to organize them.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of outline
Noun
  • The Rockies want pitches of all shapes and sizes.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 12 Feb. 2026
  • For one, this is a process that’s been conducted by the BLS in some shape or form for 90 years.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of shape
Noun
  • The couple did not have any children, according to an obituary for Ray, who died in Nashville in 1989.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Tarver is from Palm Beach County and worked for the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, according to his obituary.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of obituary
Verb
  • It's pictured here on April 17, 2025.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
  • His profile, which pictured him and Li in a park, smiling, claimed that the couple, married for more than thirty years, didn’t have any children.
    — Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of picture
Noun
  • The eerie dimming is possible thanks to an extraordinary bit of celestial geometry.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • This would not be possible in two or three dimensions, but the words are arranged in tens of thousands of them, a geometry that doggedly resists visualization.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of geometry
Noun
  • The Stonewall Monument is the only site within the national park system dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, which makes its preservation all the more meaningful to activists and historians.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Maegan Ortiz, executive director of the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California, or IDEPSCA, cited the LAPD’s history of using excessive force against civilians and said that in the recent immigration raids, officers have sometimes inflamed instead of defused tensions.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of history
Noun
  • Argentina needed a hotel away from skyscrapers that could accommodate the entire team on a single floor, with a particular room configuration.
    — Sam McDowell Updated February 13, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Authorities have not publicly indicated whether the holster configuration is central to their investigation.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of configuration

Browse Nearby Words

proficients
profile
profiled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Profile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profile. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of profile for Spanish Speakers

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