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
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
Newcastle have a full 25-man Premier League squad, but within that lie an underbelly of players who either ideally should have been moved on sooner, or are just not of the quality required.
—
Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Small Victory was also an EP on that drama in which Reinhart plays Daisy Moriarty, who is dealing with a chaotic personal life, and becomes drawn into the underbelly of the internet.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
Ferguson is a strong route runner, has the instincts to find the soft underbelly of a zone defense and wins 50-50 balls (Nix needs someone else to do this besides Courtland Sutton).
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2025
The soft underbelly has been exposed time after time and, even on a day when there was more organisation, determination and resilience than in previous displays, that underlying weakness was still exploited before the end.
—Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underbelly
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Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Small Victory was also an EP on that drama in which Reinhart plays Daisy Moriarty, who is dealing with a chaotic personal life, and becomes drawn into the underbelly of the internet.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
Ferguson is a strong route runner, has the instincts to find the soft underbelly of a zone defense and wins 50-50 balls (Nix needs someone else to do this besides Courtland Sutton).
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2025
The soft underbelly has been exposed time after time and, even on a day when there was more organisation, determination and resilience than in previous displays, that underlying weakness was still exploited before the end.
—Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underbelly
Cite this Entry
“Underbelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underbelly. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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