tiefsinnig
profound
Of great intellectual or substantive depth and therefore thought-provoking.
EXAMPLE
Der Film enthält einige tiefsinnige Gedanken über das Leben.
The film contains some profound thoughts about life.
tiefsinnig
profound
tiefsinnig – tiefsinniger – am tiefsinnigsten
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Meanings
tiefsinnig
deep-thinking
Inclined toward serious and thorough reflection; showing a thoughtful, philosophical attitude.
EXAMPLE
Sie ist ein tiefsinniger Mensch, der sich oft mit den großen Fragen des Lebens beschäftigt.
She is a deep-thinking person who often considers the big questions of life.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry tiefsinnig, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Comparison
| basic form | tiefsinnig |
|---|---|
| comparative | tiefsinniger |
| superlative | am tiefsinnigsten |
After der, die, das
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -e | -e | -e | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -e | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to tiefsinnig.
After ein, eine
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -en |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -en |
| dat. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
| gen. | -en | -en | -en | -en |
Add the ending to tiefsinnig.
Without article
| masc. | fem. | neut. | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nom. | -er | -e | -es | -e |
| acc. | -en | -e | -es | -e |
| dat. | -em | -er | -em | -en |
| gen. | -en | -er | -en | -er |
Add the ending to tiefsinnig.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Tiefsinnig' (profound) is made up of 'tief' (deep) and 'sinnig' (meaningful). The compound indicates that thoughts or an attitude go beyond the immediate surface and deal with meaning or the big questions of life.
EXAMPLE
Das Gedicht wirkt zunächst einfach, ist aber überraschend tiefsinnig.
The poem seems simple at first, but is surprisingly profound.
Typical collocations
For substantive depth, 'tiefsinnig' (profound) is often used with 'Gedanken' (thoughts), 'Fragen' (questions), 'Worten' (words), or 'Betrachtungen' (reflections). The adjective primarily describes the content of a text, conversation, or work of art.
EXAMPLE
Am Ende des Abends stellte die Dichterin noch tiefsinnige Fragen über die Vergänglichkeit.
At the end of the evening, the poet asked some profound questions about transience.
Describing people
When used to describe people, 'tiefsinnig' (deep-thinking) refers to a thoughtful and philosophical attitude. Typical combinations include 'Mensch' (person), 'Persönlichkeit' (personality), or 'Haltung' (attitude).
EXAMPLE
Mein neuer Kollege hat eine tiefsinnige Persönlichkeit und denkt lieber gründlich nach, bevor er antwortet.
My new colleague has a deep-thinking personality and prefers to think things through carefully before answering.
In real life
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