perfil

Perfil is a noun used in Portuguese and Spanish that denotes a profile, outline, or silhouette. More broadly, it refers to a set of information that characterizes a person, organization, or object. The term is derived from the French profil and is widely used across social, technical, and professional contexts to indicate a representative form or description.

In everyday use, perfil often means a personal or user profile on digital platforms, including identifying data, preferences, and images. It also covers a professional profile or résumé that summarizes education and experience, as well as a job description in human resources known as a “perfil de puesto,” which describes the requirements and responsibilities of a role.

In technical and scientific contexts, perfil denotes a cross-section or longitudinal profile. Examples include the topographic profile of terrain, the longitudinal profile of a road or railway, and geological or hydrological profiles that display how a quantity changes along a line or distance. In design and engineering, profiles help depict contours, shapes, or longitudinal variations of structures.

In data analysis, marketing, and finance, perfiles are used to describe groups or tendencies—such as perfil de consumidor (consumer profile), demographic profile, or perfil de riesgo (risk profile). The practice of profiling, or constructing profiles, is common but can raise ethical and legal considerations related to privacy and bias.