depth

[ depth ]
See synonyms for depth on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a dimension taken through an object or body of material, usually downward from an upper surface, horizontally inward from an outer surface, or from top to bottom of something regarded as one of several layers.

  2. the quality of being deep; deepness.

  1. complexity or obscurity, as of a subject: a question of great depth.

  2. gravity; seriousness: I don't think you recognize the depth of the problem.

  3. emotional profundity: the depth of someone's feelings.

  4. intensity, as of silence, color, etc.

  5. lowness of tonal pitch: the depth of a voice.

  6. the amount of knowledge, intelligence, wisdom, insight, feeling, etc., present in a person's mind or evident either in some product of the mind, as a learned paper, argument, work of art, etc., or in the person's behavior.

  7. a high degree of such knowledge, insight, etc.

  8. Often depths . a deep part or place: from the depths of the ocean.

  9. an unfathomable space; abyss: the depth of time.

  10. Sometimes depths . the farthest, innermost, or extreme part or state: the depth of space;the depths of the forest; the depths of despair.

  11. Usually depths. a low intellectual or moral condition: How could he sink to such depths?

  12. the part of greatest intensity, as of night or winter.

  13. Sports. the strength of a team in terms of the number and quality of its substitute players: With no depth in the infield, an injury to any of the regulars would be costly.

Idioms about depth

  1. in depth, extensively or thoroughly: Make a survey in depth of the conditions.

  2. out of / beyond one's depth,

    • in water deeper than one's height or too deep for one's safety.

    • beyond one's knowledge or capability: The child is being taught subjects that are beyond his depth.

Origin of depth

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English depthe, equivalent to deep + -th1

Other words for depth

Opposites for depth

2 shallowness
9 superficiality
See antonyms for depth on Thesaurus.com

Other words from depth

  • depthless, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use depth in a sentence

  • With a groan, wrung from the very depths of his heart, he tossed the man a gold-piece; another to the woman.

    Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
  • She spoke with such a serious, tender grace, that Gordon seemed stirred to his depths again.

    Confidence | Henry James
  • Her last words floated back from the depths of the corridor; a clock was striking and she had pattered off hastily.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • In the depths of her steady gaze he saw shadows, far away, behind the open expression.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
  • These bogs are of all depths from a few inches to thirty or forty feet, though the very shallow have generally been reclaimed.

    Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for depth

depth

/ (dɛpθ) /


noun
  1. the extent, measurement, or distance downwards, backwards, or inwards

  2. the quality of being deep; deepness

  1. intensity or profundity of emotion or feeling

  2. profundity of moral character; penetration; sagacity; integrity

  3. complexity or abstruseness, as of thought or objects of thought

  4. intensity, as of silence, colour, etc

  5. lowness of pitch

  6. nautical the distance from the top of a ship's keel to the top of a particular deck

  7. (often plural) a deep, far, inner, or remote part, such as an inaccessible region of a country

  8. (often plural) the deepest, most intense, or most severe part: the depths of winter

  9. (usually plural) a low moral state; demoralization: how could you sink to such depths?

  10. (often plural) a vast space or abyss

  11. beyond one's depth or out of one's depth

    • in water deeper than one is tall

    • beyond the range of one's competence or understanding

  12. in depth thoroughly or comprehensively: See also in-depth

Origin of depth

1
C14: from dep deep + -th 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with depth

depth

see in depth; out of one's depth.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.