underlying

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌəndɝˈlaɪɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Freq #16500

Meanings

1

adj
Real but not immediately obvious; forming the hidden basis of something.

The doctor searched for the underlying cause of her illness.
2

adj
Basic and fundamental.

Trust is the underlying principle of any friendship.
3

adj
Lying or located beneath something.

We dug down to the underlying rock.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · real but not immediately... implicit inrudimentary

2 adj · basic and fundamental. rudimentary

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

underlying cause
the less obvious, deeper reason behind a problem or behaviour

Adjective + noun

Etymology

By surface analysis, underlie + -ing.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

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