subterranean
Americanadjective
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existing, situated, or operating below the surface of the earth; underground.
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existing or operating out of sight or secretly; hidden or secret.
noun
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a person or thing that is subterranean.
-
a subterrane.
adjective
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Also: subterraneous, subterrestrial. situated, living, or operating below the surface of the earth
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existing or operating in concealment
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subterranean
1595–1605; < Latin subterrāne ( us ) ( see subterrane) + -an
Explanation
Subterranean is an adjective that describes something just below what can be seen, like the subterranean jealousy you hide under a smile and kind words for the actor who got the part you wanted. Subterranean feelings and intentions are those you keep "on the down low." In fact, real things that are subterranean really are down low — underground, in fact. A subterranean worm lives under the earth's surface. A subterranean lair is a secret hideout dug under the dirt — or maybe it's just your basement. The word comes from the Latin subterraneus, from sub meaning "under" and terra meaning "earth."
Vocabulary lists containing subterranean
Latin Root "sub" Words
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Power Prefix: sub-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Officials estimated up to 200 cars — many of them parked in subterranean garages — were damaged as a result.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Unlike subterranean termites, which maintain colonies connected to the soil, drywood termites can live entirely within pieces of wood.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
That’s the subterranean field at SoFi Stadium, playing host on Feb. 14, 2027 to its second Super Bowl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Some have been driving pipes into the earth, making ad hoc irrigation systems to combat subterranean fires.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Here, people whisper, the Germans have renovated two kilometers of subterranean corridors under the medieval walls; they have built new defenses, new conduits, new escape routes, underground complexes of bewildering intricacy.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
