underbelly

[uhn-der-bel-ee]

noun

plural

underbellies 

1. the lower abdomen; posterior ventral area, as of an animal's body.

2. the lower surface of an object; underside.

   the underbelly of an airplane.

3. a vulnerable area; weak point.

   an attack on the soft underbelly of Europe.

4. a dark, seamy, often hidden area or side.

   a police officer continually exposed to the underbelly of society.

underbelly

/ ˈʌndəˌbɛlɪ /

noun

1. the part of an animal's belly nearest to the ground

2. a vulnerable or unprotected part, aspect, or region

Word History and Origins

Origin of underbelly¹

First recorded in 1600–10; under- + belly

Example Sentences

The cloak of invincibility that Liverpool carried last season has been replaced by a soft - very soft - underbelly.

Read more on BBC

Scotland have added new dimensions and layers to their game in recent times, but what has never been eradicated is their soft underbelly.

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But those earnings have an ugly underbelly: ever-bigger losses at the generative AI startups that spend big on chips and data centers supplied by the profitable public companies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The night concluded with an enthusiastic performance by Doja Cat on an outdoor stage in the shadow of the David Geffen Galleries, the lights girding its massive concrete underbelly like stars in the sky.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They inherit the old right’s underbelly: ignorant isolationism, knee-jerk racism, paranoia about Jews, resentment of Washington.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• basement 
• bed 
• floor 
• ground 
• seat 
• underside