undercurrent
noun
un·der·cur·rent
ˈən-dər-ˌkər-ənt 
-ˌkə-rənt
1
: a current below the upper currents or surface
2
: a hidden opinion, feeling, or tendency often contrary to the one publicly shown
undercurrent
adjective
Examples of undercurrent in a Sentence
You could be pulled under water by the dangerous undercurrents.
Recent Examples on the Web
So although these actions may seem fatuous on the surface, the next four years will be about looking for the undercurrents.
—
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Best of Friends - The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Pearl Bailey’s warm vocals paint a portrait of a friendship against all odds, tinged with an undercurrent of melancholy that foreshadows the pair's eventual falling out.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
The thrumming bass undercurrent, rising like some dread unknown beneath it all.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
The stalemate continues, but the threatening undercurrent suggests this may not last.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for undercurrent 
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Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Best of Friends - The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Pearl Bailey’s warm vocals paint a portrait of a friendship against all odds, tinged with an undercurrent of melancholy that foreshadows the pair's eventual falling out.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 27 Nov. 2024
The thrumming bass undercurrent, rising like some dread unknown beneath it all.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
The stalemate continues, but the threatening undercurrent suggests this may not last.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for undercurrent
Dictionary Entries Near undercurrent
Cite this Entry
“Undercurrent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undercurrent. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
undercurrent
noun
un·der·cur·rent
-ˌkər-ənt
-ˌkə-rənt
1
: a current below the upper currents or surface
undercurrents of water
2
: a hidden current of opinion or feeling often different from the one openly shown
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