undercurrent

noun

un·​der·​cur·​rent ˈən-dər-ˌkər-ənt 

-ˌkə-rənt

1

: a current below the upper currents or surface

2

: a hidden opinion, feeling, or tendency often contrary to the one publicly shown

All of us, of course, are well aware that there is a strong undercurrent in our industrial societies of … anti-economic growth attitudes.

—Patrick E. Haggerty

undercurrent adjective

Examples of undercurrent in a Sentence

You could be pulled under water by the dangerous undercurrents.

Recent Examples on the Web

This transit is emotionally raw and revealing, making the darker undercurrents within our community spaces impossible to ignore. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025

Featuring Finnish actors Mari Rantasila and Mika Rättö, the film blends everyday consumer space with philosophical and comic undercurrents. —Callum McLennan, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025

Clinically, the reaction reflects an undercurrent of anxiety that now defines New York politics. —Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

But the undercurrent of that joke is how Morgan has to negotiate for power. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for undercurrent

• countercurrent
• intercurrent
• overcurrent
• photocurrent
• concurrent
• decurrent
• noncurrent
• recurrent
• current

Kids Definition

undercurrent

noun

un·​der·​cur·​rent -ˌkər-ənt 

-ˌkə-rənt

1

: a current below the upper currents or surface

undercurrents of water

2

: a hidden current of opinion or feeling often different from the one openly shown