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Glite Dictionary
this is deep

this is deep

8.7
People say it when something seems very serious or important, often jokingly
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : esto es profundo
  • She paused for a moment and said, "Wow, that is deep! I never thought about it that way."

Examples

  • Ira, this is deep shit.

    Funny People (2009)

  • During the discussion, he remarked, "That idea you presented is deep and really makes you think."

  • After listening to her explanation, I couldn’t help but agree that what she said is deep and meaningful.

Synonyms

profound
vsthis is deep
123 6.3

Showing deep thought, strong feeling, or great understanding

is often used jokingly to imply something merely seems very insightful

How Profound

mind-blowing
  • Informal
28 5.1
profound
123 6.3
this is deep
  • Informal
8.7
insightful
79 5.7

Surface Forms

this is deep main

Morphology

this + be + deep

The meaning ‘very profound or insightful’ is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents: 'this' (points to the idea/situation) + 'is' (copula) + 'deep' (metaphorically ‘profound’). The occasional ironic use does not prevent a learner who knows the words from inferring the basic meaning, and many languages use a similar ‘deep = profound’ metaphor, so it is immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

This is deep may come from the picture of a deep well or sea, where a lot is hidden below the surface and hard to reach. So when people say this is deep they mean 'very profound' or sometimes say it 'ironically' to make fun of something that sounds too serious.