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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

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.

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.
  • tension: Violent clashes at Stonehenge in 1988 and the undercurrent of tension in the hot summer of 1989 are still vivid memories.
  • violence: Pre 20th Century History Jamaica has a vivid and painful history, marred since European settlement by an undercurrent of violence and tyranny.
  • fear: An excellent novel about illusionary freedom and betrayal, with a powerful undercurrent of fear running the whole way through.
  • concern: But there is an undercurrent of public concern and even alarm about the implications of the new research.
  • disbelief: Look here at objects snatched from the undercurrent of disbelief stretching back for just a decade and a half: 2006.

Converse of object

  • reveal: Yet the defense of the welfare state in the face of the new immigration has revealed an undercurrent of racism.
  • create: Once again, guitar work is excellent and creates some very strong undercurrents creating a middle eastern feel to parts of the piece.
  • have: All ideals have an undercurrent of the search for justice within them.
  • remain: He explains: Wales, of course, remains a permanent undercurrent to almost everything I do.
  • provide: The sound is fantastic, making each blow count, and providing emotional undercurrents the acting and direction just ignore.
  • belie: It's relaxed, almost naïve, simplicity belies deeper undercurrents.

Adjective modifier

  • sinister: But, what then seemed to be a nearly perfect life had a more sinister undercurrent.
  • emotional: Earlier in the month, however, the emotional undercurrents may give rise to tensions.
  • dark: Typical of the June Brides songs, despite the pure pop youthful jangle, there is another side, a dark undercurrent.
  • strong: Despite the memories of Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, there are strong undercurrents of anger in the Gulf.
  • constant: But there's a constant undercurrent of peril, real or imagined, that keeps them on our toes.
  • deep: However, at times, deeper background undercurrents burst out into general view.

Modifies a noun

  • news: I have to mention the animation that is at the beginning of the latest Undercurrents alternative news DVD.
  • relay: The low power trip, when used to detect dry running, is up to ten times more sensitive that of conventional undercurrent relays.
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