UNDERLYING Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

underlying 1 of 2

adjective

ˌən-dər-ˈlī-iŋ

Definition of underlying

as in basic

of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject the underlying differences between democracy and dictatorship

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

underlying

2 of 2

verb

present participle of underlie

as in supporting

to lie underneath A layer of rock underlies the topsoil.

Related Words

as in grounding

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 underlying

Adjective

The same underlying platform is found in the company’s civilian Defender range. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 The underlying argument is that mental-health support is a set of techniques and interventions, and that once machines learn to marshal these effectively, all will be well. — Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

However, both can sometimes point to an underlying issue that should be addressed. — The Spruce, 20 Sep. 2026 Severe neurological complications occur in a small minority of cases, mainly among older adults and people with underlying health conditions. — Giada Zampano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for underlying

Recent Examples of Synonyms for underlying

Adjective

That’s one of the basic rules outlined in the New York Times Crossword submission guidelines and a convention followed by just about every major crossword outlet.

— New York Times, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Residents are dealing with rising costs while still asking for basic improvements to roads, lighting, flooding and traffic safety.

— Miami Herald staff, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of basic

Verb

Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of supporting rebel groups operating inside Ethiopian territory.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
The supporting actress placement also puts Hathaway in a category that, at least this early in the season, looks less crowded than the lead actress race.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of supporting

Verb

However, Maikel Garcia halted the scoring chance by grounding into a double play.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
This means establishing continuous data deduplication pipelines, enriching customer profiles with real-time behavioral signals and grounding the decisioning engine in strict governance boundaries.

— Pratik Bhadra, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of grounding

Adjective

That effectively turns the window unit into a rudimentary ground-source heat pump.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
People in New York City looked up in shock and dismay; people everywhere else watched their favorite anchors on old-fashioned television sets and looked for updates on very rudimentary versions of news websites.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of rudimentary

Verb

Even as so many families rely on the bus for their kids to get an education, most of the legal agreements underpinning the city’s school transportation system have not been modernized in decades.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
But these tools are only as good as the data underpinning them, which needs to be unified, accurate, current and accessible.

— Alex Saric, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of underpinning

Verb

Coach Saban focused his testimony on the importance of establishing a consistent national framework to end the current era of differing waivers and local rulings that has created uncertainty throughout college athletics.

— The Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
But Doha had succeeded in establishing itself as an indispensable player in the region’s politics.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of establishing

Adjective

Allow me, before dealing with twentieth-century science, to dwell upon one more elementary fact.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
And, in New York City, the nation’s largest school district recently rolled out a new policy restricting screen time for elementary and middle school students, along with the use of artificial intelligence.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of elementary

Verb

Kathleen Lord-Jones, an aviation cabin safety expert from Robson Forensic, explained the meticulous process of upholding food safety practices, from kitchen to tray table.

— Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2026
And neither were the co-hosts, who felt their fun, feel-good, not-that-serious event was suddenly being accused of upholding white supremacy.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of upholding

Browse Nearby Words

underlining

underlying

undermine

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Underlying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underlying. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of underlying

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fungible

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes