UNDERLAY Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

underlay

verb

Definition of underlay

past tense of underlie

as in supported

to lie underneath A layer of rock underlies the topsoil.

Related Words

Relevance

as in grounded

to form the basis or foundation of (something, such as an idea) The assumption that underlies their argument is faulty.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of underlay Judge Ruiz ruled Thursday that the second vote cured the problems that underlay her initial block on the deed transfer. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025 Once the human in the loop selects the option the team prefers, the systems can assign tasks to agents that underlay SAP’s assistant. — Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 17 Oct. 2025 This conviction underlay the Victorian workhouses in 19th-century England that Charles Dickens critiqued through his novels. — Colin Gordon, The Conversation, 29 May 2025 There was another story that underlay the peace negotiations, and that was the story of the love between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. — Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for underlay

Recent Examples of Synonyms for underlay

Verb

The research was supported through the National Science Foundation’s Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, which brings together universities and industry partners to advance battery technology.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
Optical services include retinal imaging, eye-pressure testing and personalized lens consultations, supported by licensed remote optometrists and Mykita’s in-house optical team.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of supported

Verb

The fear had to be that Stewart’s Star Trek captain, by comparison, would feel like your stern and authoritarian father had finally come home to shut down the party and tell everyone they were grounded.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
The Rays had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth but Ben Williamson grounded out.

— Rob Maaddi, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of grounded

Verb

Justice Elena Kagan said that the principle the Supreme Court upheld in a 2022 case involving a Maine tuition-assistance program was that the state cannot treat religious institutions differently.

— Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
The rule of law must be respected, and the valid decisions of courts must be upheld by the government, even, and perhaps most importantly, when that ruling goes against the government.

— David Baldacci, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of upheld

Verb

Talks will take place under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, or UNTOC, a global treaty established in 2003 to combat international criminal networks, money laundering, and corruption.

— Spoorthy Raman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
His attorneys dispute that his role as administrator established responsibility for threats allegedly made by others.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of established

Verb

Once entirely based in Palm Beach County, the district was redrawn to stretch from West Broward and Palm Beach counties through communities along the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee, all the way to the Gulf Coast in Collier County.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
Insurance agent Ken McFeeters filed a lawsuit challenging the senator’s eligibility based on residency requirements, but the lawsuit was dismissed.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of based

Verb

Some 5,300 were asked to track awareness, favorability and brand associations with Kansas City, and the results reinforced to KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer the region’s ability to outperform expectations.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
The international messaging has been reinforced by communist organizations that make no secret of their revolutionary objectives, using the dockworkers' campaign to advance a broader political struggle against capitalism.

— Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of reinforced

Verb

In many systems, offensive rebounds are predicated on an expectation that the center — or comparable big man — will box out while the rest of the wings crash and the point guard leaks back.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Denaturalization was a dramatic punishment, and the legal and political consensus was that it must be predicated on a dramatic crime.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of predicated

Browse Nearby Words

underlain

underlay

underlie

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Style

“Underlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underlay. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of underlay

verb

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