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- DictionaryUn·der·ly·ing/ˌəndərˈlīiNG/
verb
- 1. present participle of underlie
adjective
- 1. significant as a cause or basis of something but not necessarily manifest or obvious: "the flu can be particularly severe for the elderly and those with underlying conditions"
- 2. lying or situated under something: "the underlying muscles of the face"
The meaning of UNDERLYING is lying beneath or below. How to use underlying in a sentence.
UNDERLYING definition: 1. real but not immediately obvious: 2. used to describe something on which something else is…. Learn more.
adjective. lying or situated beneath, as a substratum. fundamental; basic: the underlying cause of their discontent. implicit; discoverable only by close scrutiny or analysis: an underlying seriousness in his witticisms. (of a claim, mortgage, etc.) taking precedence; anterior; prior.
UNDERLYING meaning: 1. real but not immediately obvious: 2. used to describe something on which something else is…. Learn more.
The obvious meaning of underlying refers to something beneath something else. But the word carries a more subtle meaning, that of something hidden but important, something that shapes the meaning or effect of something else, without being explicit itself.
underlying. The underlying features of an object, event, or situation are not obvious, and it may be difficult to discover or reveal them. To stop a problem you have to understand its underlying causes. ...underlying health conditions. I think that the underlying problem is education, unemployment and bad housing.
1. lying beneath something else, as a substratum. 2. fundamental; basic: the underlying cause. 3. discoverable only by close scrutiny or analysis; implicit. 4. (of a claim, mortgage, etc.) taking precedence; prior.
underlying. The underlying features of an object, event, or situation are not obvious, and it may be difficult to discover or reveal them. To stop a problem you have to understand its underlying causes. You describe something as underlying when it is below the surface of something else.
existing under the surface of something else. Definition of underlying adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
An underlying reason or problem is the real reason or problem, although it is not obvious: We need to look at the underlying reasons for ill health. (Definition of underlying from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
