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.
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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.
Five years later, Madison Square Garden was planted atop it, banishing sunlight and driving commuters into a subterranean maze of passageways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The Justice Department says 99 subterranean passages have been discovered in the Southern District of California since 1993.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
"It's been successfully used on subterranean termites, which are also important structural pests," Choe said.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
Perhaps deep in the movie’s own subterranean basement of ideas, “Hokum” is a modern take on Ebenezer Scrooge’s night terrors, only I wouldn’t put much stock in Scott’s malcontent turning his life around.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
Rains then carry part of the arsenic into streams, rivers, and reservoirs, as well as into the vast subterranean seas of groundwater.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions 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.
