underlying

[ uhn-der-lahy-ing ]

/ ˈʌn dərˌlaɪ ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR underlying ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

underlie, underline, underlinen, underling, underlit, underlying, undermanned, undermentioned, undermine, undermining ulcer, undermodulate

Origin of underlying

First recorded in 1605–15; underlie + -ing²

Definition for underlying (2 of 2)

underlie

[ uhn-der-lahy ]

/ ˌʌn dərˈlaɪ /

verb (used with object), un·der·lay, un·der·lain, un·der·ly·ing.

to lie under or beneath; be situated under.

to be at the basis of; form the foundation of.

Grammar. to function as the root morpheme or original or basic form of (a derived form): The form “boy” underlies “boyish.”

Finance. to be primary to another right or security.

Origin of underlie

before 900; Middle English underlyen (v.), Old English underlicgan. See under-, lie²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for underlying

But there is an underlying feeling that the worst is yet to come.
Europe’s Islam Haters Say We Told You So|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Some were elderly with underlying conditions like hypertension and diabetes.
Did This Flu Vaccine Kill 13?|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Underlying all of this legal maneuvering is the social fact that marriages are hard to undo.
Gay Marriage Chaos Begins|Jay Michaelson|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The underlying economic factors that cause deficits to shrink often create circumstances that push them to shrink even faster.
The Battle of the Deficit Bulge Has Been Won|Daniel Gross|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its underlying criticism of her character escaped her utterly.
Regiment of Women|Clemence Dane
He felt the underlying pathos of such a marked departure from his usual habits.
The Danvers Jewels, and Sir Charles Danvers|Mary Cholmondeley
In any quarry where a section of the soil and of the underlying rock is visible, we may study the mode of formation of soils.
The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays|J. (John) Joly
It is too much in earnest and whatever humorous quality it may possess never loses the underlying intensity of human conflict.
The Man in Court|Frederic DeWitt Wells
The granite, the unstratified rocks, form the backbone of the continent; they are the underlying rocks.
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, January 1883|The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific Circle

British Dictionary definitions for underlying (1 of 2)

underlying

/ (ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ) /

adjective

concealed but detectableunderlying guilt

fundamental; basic

lying under

finance (of a claim, liability, etc) taking precedence; prior

British Dictionary definitions for underlying (2 of 2)

underlie

/ (ˌʌndəˈlaɪ) /

verb -lies, -lying, -lay or -lain (tr)

to lie or be placed under or beneath

to be the foundation, cause, or basis ofcareful planning underlies all our decisions

finance to take priority over (another claim, liability, mortgage, etc)a first mortgage underlies a second

to be the root or stem from which (a word) is derived"happy" underlies "happiest"

Derived Forms

underlier, noun

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