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undercurrent definition

under·cur·rent (-kʉr′ənt)

noun

  1. a current, as of water or air, flowing below another or beneath the surface
  2. an underlying tendency, opinion, etc., usually one that is kept hidden and not expressed openly

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

undercurrent Synonyms

undercurrent

n.

  1. Backflow

    cross-current, ebb tide, flow; see undertow.

  2. Direction

    trend, tendency, propensity, direction; see inclination 1.

  3. Indication

    intimation, insinuation, trace; see hint 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

undercurrent Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • racism: Yet the defense of the welfare state in the face of the new immigration has revealed an undercurrent of racism.

Converse of object

  • reveal: Yet the defense of the welfare state in the face of the new immigration has revealed an undercurrent of racism.

Adjective modifier

  • sinister: But, what then seemed to be a nearly perfect life had a more sinister undercurrent.

Modifies a noun

  • news: I have to mention the animation that is at the beginning of the latest Undercurrents alternative news DVD.
undercurrent usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

undercurrent quotes

[There is] an undercurrent of emotion bred of the deep acquaintance that can take a landscape and its inhabitantsto be a vocabulary, a set of wordlesssymbols effortlessly shared.

-Updike,John Hoyer

undercurrent quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"undercurrent." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/undercurrent>

APA Style

undercurrent. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/undercurrent

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