deep down
In one's heart
Deep down refers to one's truest feelings or nature, beneath surface appearances or stated positions.
Someone may act confident but deep down feel insecure.
The phrase suggests authenticity hidden under layers of performance or self-deception: Deep down, I think she knows she's wrong.
It can modify either the subject's psychology or the speaker's assessment of it.
- insideThe inner area
- at heartAt one's core
- inwardlyWithin one's mind
- fundamentallyAt the core level
- coreCentral essential portion
underlying · beneath the surface · inmost · suppressed · secretly · authenticity · bedrock · rock bottom · buried · subconsciously · foundation · basically · unacknowledged · essence · truth · vulnerability · sincerity · intimate
- undergroundunderground, subterranean, cave systems, tunnels, tunnel
- in summaryin short, in brief, in sum, briefly, succinctly
deep downon the surface
In apparent aspect only
superficially · outwardly · ostensibly · on the face of it · at first glance
deep downopenly
Without hiding anything
overtly · on the outside · externally · visibly · publicly
down, deep, depth, depths, deepen, downward, deepest, deeper, deepening