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Glite Dictionary
✏️ To mark with a line ❗ To emphasize ➖ A line below text
to underline

to underline

25 3.2
To show that something is important in speech or writing
  • verb
  • /ˌʌndərˈlaɪn/
translation icon : destacar
  • I would like to underline that these are just precautionary measures.
  • underline the importance
  • underline the fact
  • underline the need

I think that really underlines basically how aggressive these increases in asset prices have been.

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Examples

  • To emphasize her main point, she decided to underline the key phrase in her essay.

  • Comparable data from previous elections underline just how extraordinary these results are.

    Academic text (2013)

  • But we do have the potential, and I underline that word potential, to come together for causes that can help America as a whole.

    Megyn Kelly

  • So let's underline this word healthspan for a moment.

  • And he underlined the point that the current position is therefore inadequate as it stands.

  • The final chapter, "The Church in and for the World," underlines the missional nature of the church.

    Academic text (2015)

  • In the future, CSCE's human-rights provisions will continue to underline the connection between internal governance and external behavior.

    Academic text (1991)

  • His explanation underlines the indeterminacy and slipperiness of what he is trying to name.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The appearance of two women named Elsie underlines the reflexivity within Achebe's taxonomy.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Sayer's hand comes in and boldly underlines the dosage - 575 mg.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

to emphasize
vsto underline
  • US
397 3.7

To show that something is very important

focuses on speech or writing usage rather than visual prominence
to stress
vsto underline
183 3.1

To give extra attention to a point when speaking or writing

gives extra weight more generally with milder emphasis
to underscore
vsto underline
30 4.3

To make something seem more important or serious

is used broadly in speech and informal writing rather than formal statements
to accentuate
vsto underline
27 6.0

Make a part of something more noticeable

adds weight in speech or writing not primarily by making features visible
to underline the importance
vsto underline
1 3.7

Show that something is very important

highlights things broadly rather than only how much they matter

Antonyms

to downplay
59 5.3

Show something as less important or serious than it is

Phrasal Verbs

to underline the importance
1 3.7

Show that something is very important

How Emphatic

to underline
25 3.2
to underline
25 2.2
to note
951 1.6
to mention
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

underline infinitive
underlined past
underlined past participle
underlining present participle
underlines third person singular

Morphology

underline = line (semi-transparent) = under + line

Formally 'under' + 'line' is literal and clear; the structure is straightforward.

Etymology

Underline also means to show that something is important. It comes from under ('below') and line ('a mark'), so to underline an idea is like putting a line under it to make it stand out.