as in emphasis
a special notice or importance given to something
the underscoring we've given the play's local setting will hopefully increase ticket sales
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in emphasizing
to make more apparent
a history of the Old West that underscores the role that pioneer women had in bringing order and stability to the wild frontier
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 underscoring
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Sound designer Hunter Moody provides delicate underscoring setting appropriate to moods as needed.
—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
But from the opening moments, set in the cozy cabinet of curiosities shop — cue orchestrator/arranger Matt Brind’s mysterious and twinkling Danny Elfman-esque underscoring — there’s real precision to Luke Sheppard’s production.
—
David Benedict,
Variety,
30 Nov. 2025
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
His successor will be the country's seventh leader in that period, underscoring how political and economic turmoil continue to unsettle British politics long after the Brexit process was concluded.
—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
22 June 2026
Recent reporting also suggests that drones now account for the overwhelming majority of successful Ukrainian battlefield strikes against Russian forces, underscoring just how central unmanned systems have become to modern combat operations.
—
Hunter Lacroix,
Baltimore Sun,
20 June 2026
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.
—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Lake Tahoe officials also have intercepted boats carrying golden mussels in recent weeks, underscoring concerns that the invasive species could spread to one of California’s most iconic waterways.
—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
Bichette and Soto hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, marking a rare feat for the Mets and underscoring the importance of their roughly $100 million-per-season duo.
—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
As music filled the air, flags from countries across the globe waved over the crowd, underscoring the tournament's unifying appeal.
—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
By Rachel Phua | Bloomberg US companies are spending more on executive perks such as luxury relocations and private jets, underscoring a widening divide between the rewards offered to corporate leaders and the more modest pay gains available to much of the workforce.
—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
Noun
The staging could do without the underscoring that becomes heavy-handed in the play’s later stages.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Sound designer Hunter Moody provides delicate underscoring setting appropriate to moods as needed.
—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
But from the opening moments, set in the cozy cabinet of curiosities shop — cue orchestrator/arranger Matt Brind’s mysterious and twinkling Danny Elfman-esque underscoring — there’s real precision to Luke Sheppard’s production.
—
David Benedict,
Variety,
30 Nov. 2025
Verb
Yana Santos questioned the formula's transparency, underscoring the ongoing tension between algorithmic objectivity and human perception, particularly as the full mathematical parameters remain undisclosed.
—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
His successor will be the country's seventh leader in that period, underscoring how political and economic turmoil continue to unsettle British politics long after the Brexit process was concluded.
—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
22 June 2026
Recent reporting also suggests that drones now account for the overwhelming majority of successful Ukrainian battlefield strikes against Russian forces, underscoring just how central unmanned systems have become to modern combat operations.
—
Hunter Lacroix,
Baltimore Sun,
20 June 2026
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.
—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Lake Tahoe officials also have intercepted boats carrying golden mussels in recent weeks, underscoring concerns that the invasive species could spread to one of California’s most iconic waterways.
—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
Bichette and Soto hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, marking a rare feat for the Mets and underscoring the importance of their roughly $100 million-per-season duo.
—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
As music filled the air, flags from countries across the globe waved over the crowd, underscoring the tournament's unifying appeal.
—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
By Rachel Phua | Bloomberg US companies are spending more on executive perks such as luxury relocations and private jets, underscoring a widening divide between the rewards offered to corporate leaders and the more modest pay gains available to much of the workforce.
—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underscoring
Noun
-
The Kansas City Democrat has placed an emphasis on the district in Congress, and helped funnel federal money for revitalization projects.
-
That debate has sharpened after the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Sirius Solutions, which rejected the IRS’s emphasis on a taxpayer’s active participation and instead focused on the statute and the legal characteristics of limited partner status, including liability protection.
Verb
-
Hyaluronic acid helps draw moisture into the skin, which can reduce the likelihood of powder settling into fine lines or emphasizing dryness.
-
Pennick and Kathy Elgas had — yet again — bantered that very morning over his reticence to adopt another cat, with the volunteer emphasizing the overwhelming need and Pennick stressing his need to protect his heart from the inevitable pain of a cat eventually dying.
Verb
-
Japan is also expanding drone capabilities, upgrading air power with F-35s and next-generation fighters, and reinforcing its Southwest Islands with military assets.
-
In addition to reinforcing graphic-design tropes, Claude Design tends to direct all of its users toward the same libraries of open-source code, the tools behind user-interface design.
Cite this Entry
“Underscoring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underscoring. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
