underlying
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.
Origin of underlying
1Words Nearby underlying
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use underlying in a sentence
Diarrhea and constipation can also reveal serious underlying issues, according to Stemcosky.
Toilet training your cat isn’t as great as it sounds | Candice Wang | August 27, 2020 | Popular-ScienceFor brushy Southern California, it could be tree limbs or palm fronds falling on power lines, but also lines can slap together and cause a spark, which ignite underlying brush and grass.
Watchdog Warns: SDG&E’s Tree-Trimming Plan Could Worsen Wildfires | MacKenzie Elmer | August 24, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoIf we can identify a subset of LHPs who display similar underlying pitch quality as the right-handed population of pitchers, then any difference in their outcomes against hitters should reflect the southpaw advantage.
What Really Gives Left-Handed Pitchers Their Edge? | Guy Molyneux | August 17, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThey had the league’s ninth-best points percentage when it suspended play in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the underlying picture wasn’t bad either.
Can The Hurricanes Win The Stanley Cup With Mediocre Goaltending? | Terrence Doyle | August 11, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightHe wants to use metrics like Krakauer’s to identify underlying properties or general principles that might be shared by those diverse origin stories.
What Is an Individual? Biology Seeks Clues in Information Theory. | Jordana Cepelewicz | July 16, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
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.
The New Face of Boko Haram’s Terror: Teen Girls | Nina Strochlic | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSome 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.
The Religion of Ancient Rome | Cyril BaileyHere and there, at irregular intervals, the water appeared in pools, pushed to the surface by a lifting of the underlying rock.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. MatthewsThe stream is then forced to cut its way according to the positions of the various underlying strata.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerHinduism has become a conservative religion and, therefore, a mighty force because of the Swadeshi spirit underlying it.
Third class in Indian railways | Mahatma GandhiThere was such real earnestness, so much underlying meaning, in Pauline's voice that she paused and her eyes became thoughtful.
A Butterfly on the Wheel | Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
British Dictionary definitions for underlying
/ (ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ) /
concealed but detectable: underlying guilt
fundamental; basic
lying under
finance (of a claim, liability, etc) taking precedence; prior
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
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