subworld
Realm beneath notice
A subworld is a distinct realm or sphere within a larger world—a contained domain with its own rules, inhabitants, or characteristics.
The term appears in video games and fantasy settings to describe areas nested within a broader universe: Each dungeon is its own subworld with unique mechanics.
More abstractly, it can refer to social or cultural enclaves: the subworld of competitive chess, the criminal subworld.
Below ground or countercultural
- cavernLarge natural underground chamber
- tunnelEnclosed underground route
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
- catacombUnderground cemetery passage
bunker · undercroft · grotto · beneath · hidden depths · buried · subsurface · underfoot
Constructing imaginary universes for fiction
- realmGoverned territory or sphere
- dimensionMeasurable extent or scope
- universeComplete system or domain
- settingContext of events
lore · mythos · backstory · cosmology · pantheon · narrative · saga · chronicle
Rejection of mainstream values
- underground sceneNon-mainstream artistic community
- fandomEnthusiast community collectively
- cosplayDressing as media characters
- otakuObsessive anime enthusiast
punk · goth · steampunk · indie · emo · grunge · tribe · clique
Imagined realm during sleep
- phantasmagoriaShifting sequence of illusions
- illusionMisleading sensory impression
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- fantasticalExtravagantly unreal or imaginary
whimsical · surreal · invented · storybook · daydream · reverie · hallucination · vision
underground
Below ground or countercultural
catacomb · bunker · undercroft · grotto · beneath · hidden depths · buried · subsurface · underfoot · chthonic
worldbuilding
Constructing imaginary universes for fiction
- realmGoverned territory or sphere
- dimensionMeasurable extent or scope
- universeComplete system or domain
setting · lore · mythos · backstory · cosmology · pantheon · narrative · saga · chronicle · epic
counterculture
Rejection of mainstream values
- underground sceneNon-mainstream artistic community
- fandomEnthusiast community collectively
- cosplayDressing as media characters
otaku · punk · goth · steampunk · indie · emo · grunge · tribe · clique · insider
dreamscape
Imagined realm during sleep
- phantasmagoriaShifting sequence of illusions
- illusionMisleading sensory impression
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
fantastical · whimsical · surreal · invented · storybook · daydream · reverie · hallucination · vision · mirage
magic
Supernatural or illusory power
sorcery · enchantment · mythology · quest · kingdom · knights · warlocks · unicorns · goblins · dwarves
escape
Flight from captivity
refuge · solace · respite · hideaway · oasis · immersion · absorption · alternate reality · roleplay · wish fulfillment
subworldoverworld
Main explorable surface area
upperworld · upper world · superstructure · heaven · celestial realm
subworldmainstream
Dominant cultural current
establishment · dominant culture · overground · aboveground · public sphere
world, submarine, underworld, subconscious, subsistence, netherworld, subsection, subterranean, subhuman