Synonyms of underlies

underlies

verb

present tense third-person singular of underlie

1

as in supports

to lie underneath

A layer of rock underlies the topsoil.

Related Words

• supports
• steadies
• carries
• upholds
• underpins
• undergirds
• sustains
• stays
• bears
• bolsters
• trusses
• shores (up)
• buttresses
• braces
• props (up)

2

as in grounds

to form the basis or foundation of (something, such as an idea)

The assumption that underlies their argument is faulty.

Related Words

• grounds
• establishes
• supports
• reinforces
• establishes
• rests
• bases
• contributes (to)
• confirms
• predicates
• proves
• corroborates
• hangs
• affirms
• bolsters
• verifies
• substantiates
• validates
• presupposes
• backs
• conduces (to)
• shores (up)
• presumes
• buttresses
• postulates
• assumes
• founds
• premises
• supposes
• avouches

Dissimilar Words

• undermines
• weakens
• undercuts

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of underlies

Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 21 July 2026

The impulse that underlies the rise of passion projects is a correct one—admissions officers at top schools want to admit students who are creative and driven, self-motivated and passionate about using their skills to benefit their communities. — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

This approach underlies the security of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and, with RSA, helps secure modern internet traffic. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 July 2026

And that’s the question that underlies much of what’s onscreen in this perplexing, entertaining, frustrating picture. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026

But in making their arguments, the authors went further, addressing fundamental questions of politics by laying out the political theory that underlies that Constitution. — Jordan Cash, The Conversation, 8 June 2026

Training, both stressed, underlies all of it. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 June 2026

This sort of hypothesis—this mechanism underlies that disease, and the drug over there can target it—is also one of the more concrete forms of hypothesis in biology. — ArsTechnica, 19 May 2026