Interesting question. To keep it simple:

metabolic profiling = (more or less) metabolomics

targeted metabolomics = approach to data acquisition - You know which metabolites change concentrations and monitor them

untargeted metabolomics = approach to data acquisition - You DON'T know which metabolites change concentrations and want to monitor as many as possible

metabolic fingerprinting = creating a profile of metabolites (or a change in profile) inside the cell (tissue, organ, organism...)

metabolic footprinting = creating a profile of metabolites in the environment of the cell (tissue, organ, organism...), e.g. analysis of secretome or metabolic uptake analysis

Hope it helped a bit ;)

Targeted Metabolomics = Measures specific known metabolites. Like using a zoom lens to focus on specific faces in a crowd.

Untargeted Metabolomics = Measures all detectable metabolites, known and unknown. Like using a wide-angle lens to capture the whole scene.

Metabolic Profiling = Measures a group of related metabolites (e.g., lipids, amino acids). Like taking a group photo of people wearing similar clothes.

Metabolic Fingerprinting = Captures a quick snapshot of the overall metabolite pattern. Like taking a blurry photo to recognize the scene’s mood.

Metabolic Footprinting = Measures metabolites secreted by cells into the environment. Like photographing footprints left in the sand after someone walks by.