underbelly

noun

un·​der·​bel·​ly ˈən-dər-ˌbe-lē 

1

: a vulnerable area

also : a corrupt or sordid part

probing the underbelly of the entertainment industry

2

: the underside of a body or mass

Synonyms

• underworld

Examples of underbelly in a Sentence

They exposed the underbelly of the nation's economic policy.

the sordid underbelly of city life

Recent Examples on the Web

In the film, former country megastar Misty Jones (Chastain) comes out of seclusion to investigate the disappearance of her missing niece (Faith), a rising country musician, and must grapple with her own past and Nashville’s seedy underbelly. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025

But the movie’s soft-hearted underbelly fails to support that reading, and by the time the story finally arrives at its final moments, the unsparing cynicism that supplied its initial lift has been dragged back down to Earth by the weight of bland truisms. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2025

This conflict has been an ugly one, here at home exposing a dark underbelly of antisemitism. —The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025

For her work in the true crime genre, Sarian earned the 2025 Webby Award for her podcast Dark History, which explores the past’s dark underbelly. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for underbelly

• vermicelli
• allele
• appellee
• ocelli
• belly
• deli
• felly
• jelly
• kellie
• melly
• nellie
• nelly

Kids Definition

underbelly

noun

un·​der·​bel·​ly ˈən-dər-ˌbel-ē 

: the underpart of a body or mass

the underbelly of a bomber

also : an area open to attack or damage

the army's underbelly