underlying
At the base
Underlying means situated beneath or forming a foundation for something else.
An underlying cause is the real reason behind surface events.
Underlying assumptions are beliefs that support an argument without being stated.
In finance, an underlying asset is what a derivative contract is based on.
The word emphasizes what exists below what's immediately visible: There were underlying tensions in the marriage that no one talked about.
Solid stone underground
- groundworkFoundational preparation for something
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- infrastructureBasic physical systems
- frameworkUnderlying support system
substrate · scaffolding · underpinning · substratum · footing · base · support · pillar
Underground absorbing structure
- sourcePoint of origin
- originStarting point or source
- reasonBasis or justification
- driverVehicle operator
basis · motive · factor · determinant · cause · impetus · trigger · mechanism
Made invisible deliberately
- veiledConcealed or obscured
- obscuredMade hard to perceive
- unseenNot perceived visually
- undetectedNot discovered yet
covert · masked · submerged · buried · unobtrusive · unrevealed · camouflaged · shrouded
Not verbally expressed
- tacitUnderstood without words
- impliedSuggested without stating
- unstatedNot openly expressed
- assumedTaken as true
understood · presumed · inferred · suggested · intimated · connoted · unarticulated · unexpressed
Inactive but capable
- potentialLatent capacity for development
- unrealizedNot made actual
- quiescentInactive but capable
- inactiveNot currently functioning
undeveloped · untapped · suppressed · repressed · simmering · incipient · embryonic · nascent
Indirect suggestion or consequence
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion
- allusionIndirect reference to something
nuance · overtone · suggestion · meaning · subtext · presupposition · intimation · irony
Thorough change in form
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- recursionProcess invoking itself
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- competenceAdequate ability to function
bedrock
Solid stone underground
- groundworkFoundational preparation for something
- cornerstoneFoundational building block
- infrastructureBasic physical systems
framework · substrate · scaffolding · underpinning · substratum · footing · base · support · pillar · backbone
root
Underground absorbing structure
driver · basis · motive · factor · determinant · cause · impetus · trigger · mechanism · explanation
concealed
Made invisible deliberately
undetected · covert · masked · submerged · buried · unobtrusive · unrevealed · camouflaged · shrouded · beneath
unspoken
Not verbally expressed
assumed · understood · presumed · inferred · suggested · intimated · connoted · unarticulated · unexpressed · indirect
dormant
Inactive but capable
- potentialLatent capacity for development
- unrealizedNot made actual
- quiescentInactive but capable
inactive · undeveloped · untapped · suppressed · repressed · simmering · incipient · embryonic · nascent · smoldering
implication
Indirect suggestion or consequence
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- insinuationIndirect, usually negative suggestion
allusion · nuance · overtone · suggestion · meaning · subtext · presupposition · intimation · irony · metaphor
transformation
Thorough change in form
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- recursionProcess invoking itself
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- Over/Under Wordsabove, below, beneath, overhead, on top
- spatial adjectivesupper, lower, inner, outer, front
- problem adjectivesserious, severe, major, minor, critical
- unexpressedunspoken, unstated, unuttered, suppressed, implicit
- root wordsbase, foundation, source, origin, cause
- directionsnorth, south, east, west, left
underlyingoverlying
Resting on top of
superficial · surface · overlaying · topmost · outer
underlyingsuperficial
Lacking depth or substance
secondary · incidental · ancillary · peripheral · minor
- underlying conditions
- underlying causeHidden reason beneath surface
- underlying themeCentral idea throughout
- underlying formAbstract stored form