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underground

underground

153 5.7
Hidden and done secretly to avoid being found by authorities
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌndərˈɡraʊnd/
translation icon : clandestino
  • Dissident activity, however, is clandestine and underground, making it difficult to speculate about its strength or future.
  • go underground
  • underground economy
  • drive underground

And it's sort of underground because it is so out there.

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Examples

  • You've got the ability and the personality to go underground and blend in completely.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • - It's gonna have to be underground, invite only.

  • But there there is an underground quality to my life, right.

  • And it's sort of underground because it is so out there.

  • Now I will tell you the underground secret.

  • Well it looks like they got some underground hide out.

  • The implications for the underground economy of this decline in cash use are vast.

    Academic text (2017)
  • He disappeared and went underground with his family.

  • A few dissidents from New Reyo sent out a manifesto, announcing an underground militia to "fight for independence."

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The artist chose to perform underground shows to avoid attention from the media.

Synonyms

secret
vsunderground
2.0

Hidden so other people do not know about it

emphasises hiding specifically to escape discovery by officials
undercover
vsunderground
243 6.3

Working secretly to get information about people and groups

is about secrecy more generally, not only investigative disguise
hidden
vsunderground
125 1.1

A thing that is not easily seen or found

carries an extra sense of deliberate avoidance of authorities
covert
vsunderground
117 6.8

Done secretly to avoid being seen or known

is done specifically to avoid discovery, often by authorities
clandestine
vsunderground
  • Formal
40 8.2

Kept secret because it is illegal or not allowed

focuses more on hiding activity to evade official detection
hush-hush
vsunderground
  • Informal
13 7.5

People keep it secret from most others to avoid being noticed

is about secret action aimed at escaping official discovery
under-the-table
vsunderground
9 7.5

Done secretly to hide payments and avoid the law

is more general secrecy that may include political evasion
surreptitious
vsunderground
7 8.5

Done secretly because people would disapprove

emphasises concealment aimed at escaping discovery by officials
subterranean
vsunderground
6 7.4

Hidden and not openly shown

is about secret activity aimed specifically at avoiding discovery
cloak-and-dagger
vsunderground
  • Informal
5 8.9

Being secret and mysterious like spy stories

covers hidden activity without the dramatic espionage connotations
concealed
vsunderground
5 3.7

Hidden so people cannot see it

adds the idea of avoiding official detection rather than mere invisibility
super-secret
vsunderground
3 7.4

Very private and known by only a few people

is similar but often used for ordinary evasion of authorities
hushed-up
vsunderground
1 7.5

People in power keep it secret to hide a problem

is about secret actions more generally, not only controlled silence
hugger-mugger
vsunderground
  • Archaic
9.9

Done in a secret way to hide plans

is broader, covering any hidden action to avoid detection
hole-and-corner
vsunderground
  • Archaic
9.3

A secret way of doing things to hide small dishonest acts

is similar but applies to larger organised avoidance of authorities
hole-in-corner
vsunderground
  • Archaic
9.9

Hidden and small, often secret and unimportant

is about organised concealment to escape official discovery

Antonyms

53 5.1

Open and easy to notice, not hidden

4 3.5

On or above the ground

Compounds

Secret network that helped enslaved people escape to free states and Canada

A passage built under the ground for people or vehicles to pass through

A hidden network where people buy and sell things illegally

A secret way of printing and sharing banned or critical writing

A group of musicians and artists who work outside the mainstream, often in secret

Secret network that helps migrants reach safety across borders

A secret U.S. network that helped enslaved people escape to free states or Canada before the Civil War

Meat from sheep that people buy and sell secretly

How Secret

underground
153 5.7
clandestine
  • Formal
40 8.2
covert
117 6.8
secret
2.0
hidden
125 1.1

Surface Forms

underground positive

Morphology

underground = ground (semi-transparent) = under + ground

The sense 'secret/hidden' is a metaphorical extension of 'beneath the surface' and thus only partly predictable from the literal components. [Postprocessing: moved 'under' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Underground combines under ('below') and ground ('the earth'). A helpful image is of something kept 'beneath the surface' to hide it, so an 'underground' activity or scene is secret or hidden from the authorities.