Synonyms of underpinnings

underpinnings

noun

plural of underpinning

1

as in foundations

an immaterial thing upon which something else rests

the underpinnings of the theory have recently been called into question

Synonyms & Similar Words

• foundations
• cornerstones
• bases
• bases
• bedrocks
• grounds
• roots
• keystones
• premises
• warps
• theories
• footings
• justifications
• assumptions
• frameworks
• warp and woofs
• infrastructures
• groundworks
• presumptions
• bottoms
• cores
• presuppositions
• shores
• supports
• rationales
• essences
• substructures
• props
• substrata
• kernels
• buttresses
• foci
• backbones
• mounts
• anchorages
• beds
• theses
• centers
• hearts
• bulwarks
• warrants
• braces
• touchstones
• stays
• suppositions
• nuclei
• hubs
• seats
• eyes
• souls
• quintessences

2

as in shores

a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else

the underpinnings of the bridge were seriously damaged in the collision

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shores
• pillars
• supports
• foundations
• reinforcements
• props
• mountings
• braces
• mounts
• buttresses
• spurs
• stays
• columns
• arches
• trusses
• brackets
• crutches
• shorings
• bolsters
• bearings
• pedestals
• cantilevers
• frames
• stands
• pilasters
• struts
• stakes
• bases
• girders
• pegs
• stilts
• posts
• stanchions

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of underpinnings

But for decades, scientists didn’t understand the neural underpinnings of cognitive exhaustion. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026

To support the logistical underpinnings of land force cooperation, the initiative established a seamless, borderless Nordic military mobility corridor. — Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026

Like most social signals, the conventions around eye contact have evolutionary underpinnings. — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026

These findings, if confirmed, could explain the biological underpinnings behind why treating prenatal depression is so critical. — Catherine Demers, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026

But their emergence also underscores how much psychiatry still needs to learn about the biological underpinnings of depression and why patients respond differently to treatment. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026

For twenty years, McCarthy has been swimming against the current, writing novels that reflect, with unusual intensity, his disdain for the conventional underpinnings of literary fiction. — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

The conversation and the word itself, which gives the seventh and final episode its title, unlocks the Biblical underpinnings and the complexities governing many of the main characters. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2026

The phone, the radio, the television, the fax, the cell, texting, video calls, AI—who among us truly grasps its underpinnings? — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026