underlying

American  

[uhn-der-lahy-ing] / ˈʌn dərˌlaɪ ɪŋ /

adjective

1. lying or situated beneath, as a substratum.

2. fundamental; basic.

   the underlying cause of their discontent.

3. implicit; discoverable only by close scrutiny or analysis.

   an underlying seriousness in his witticisms.

4. (of a claim, mortgage, etc.) taking precedence; anterior; prior.

5. Linguistics. belonging to an earlier stage in the transformational derivation of a sentence or other structure; belonging to the deep structure.

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underlying British  

/ ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ /

adjective

1. concealed but detectable

   underlying guilt

2. fundamental; basic

3. lying under

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

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Usage

What does underlying mean? Underlying most literally means situated underneath—lying under something, as in We have to fix the underlying layer before repairing the surface.Underlying perhaps most commonly means fundamental or basic. This sense of the word is used to describe things that are the basis, foundation, or cause of something else. A person’s underlying beliefs are their most essential beliefs, the ones that all their other beliefs, opinions, or values are based on. A single, underlying issue may be the basis of many other problems. Symptoms are caused by an underlying condition or disease.Less commonly, underlying can be used to describe something that lies beneath in a figurative way, especially something that’s difficult to detect because it’s partially hidden, such as underlying guilt or the underlying theme of a poem.Underlying is also the continuous tense (ing- form) of the verb underlie, meaning to literally lie beneath or to be the basis or foundation of, as in This is the main problem that underlies all the other issues. In a financial context, underlying is used more narrowly as a way of indicating what came first or what has precedence, such as in things like mortgages or insurance claims.Example: We are still working to determine the underlying cause of the collapse.

Etymology

Origin of underlying

First recorded in 1605–15; underlie + -ing ²

Example Sentences

“But this surface normality sits uneasily atop a much more strained underlying environment. The disconnect between relatively calm economic and financial conditions on the one hand, and heightened geopolitical tensions on the other, is striking.”

From The Wall Street Journal

This structure magnifies any losses on the underlying loans and creates the danger that any meaningful drop in net asset values will boost leverage and force loan sales.

From Barron's

“The modest rise in New Zealand’s jobless rate masks the fact that underlying labor market conditions have started to improve,” said Abhijit Surya, economist at Capital Economics.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gold and silver staged a rebound after two sessions of heavy selling, as underlying drivers of demand remain strong and current price levels drew renewed buyer interest.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gold and silver staged a rebound after two sessions of heavy selling that rippled across commodity markets, as underlying drivers of demand remain strong and current price levels draw renewed interest from buyers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• basic
• elemental
• hidden