View synonyms for underlying

underlying

[ uhn-der-lahy-ing ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

lying or situated beneath, as a substratum.
fundamental; basic:
the underlying cause of their discontent.
implicit; discoverable only by close scrutiny or analysis:
an underlying seriousness in his witticisms.
(of a claim, mortgage, etc.) taking precedence; anterior; prior.
Linguistics. belonging to an earlier stage in the transformational derivation of a sentence or other structure; belonging to the deep structure.

underlying

/ ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ /

First recorded in 1605–15; underlie + -ing ²

But there is an underlying feeling that the worst is yet to come.

Political tensions are underlying every move in Nigeria, where, in February, the next presidential candidates will be nominated.

Some were elderly with underlying conditions like hypertension and diabetes.

Underlying all of this legal maneuvering is the social fact that marriages are hard to undo.

The underlying economic factors that cause deficits to shrink often create circumstances that push them to shrink even faster.

The commercial notion is not perhaps quite so distinct here, but the underlying legal relationship is sufficiently marked.

Here and there, at irregular intervals, the water appeared in pools, pushed to the surface by a lifting of the underlying rock.

The stream is then forced to cut its way according to the positions of the various underlying strata.

Hinduism has become a conservative religion and, therefore, a mighty force because of the Swadeshi spirit underlying it.

There was such real earnestness, so much underlying meaning, in Pauline's voice that she paused and her eyes became thoughtful.

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