underline, v. underscore. See underscore.
underling, n. subordinate, subaltern, understrapper, junior, nonentity, Inf. low man on the totem pole; servant, menial, lackey, Contemptuous, flunky; minion, creature, puppet, slave, dupe, instrument, tool, cat's-paw, rubber-stamp, doormat, footstool, SI. stooge; yes man, jackal, spaniel, bootlicker, lickspittle; parasite, leech, sponger, hanger-on. undermine, v. 1. tunnel, excavate, burrow, dig, mine.
2. subvert, sap, sap the foundations of [s.t.]; sabotage, wreck, Inf. throw a wrench or monkey wrench into the works, Brit. Inf. ratten, SI. bugger, SI. queer, SI. queer the works, SI. gum up or screw up the works, SI. foul up.
3. (all by stealth or treachery) injure, hurt, harm, impair, damage, incapacitate, disable; spoil, ruin, dash, scotch. underneath, prep. 1. below, under, beneath, Dial. neath, at the bottom of, at the foot or base of.
2. subordinate to, at the beck and call of, under the heel of.
-n. 3. bottom, bottom side, underside, underprivileged, adj. disadvantaged, deprived, in want, in need, beggared, pauperized; on welfare, on relief, Brit, on the dole, Brit. SI. on the brew; needy, necessitous, indigent, impoverished, impecunious, penurious, distressed, in reduced, circumstances, in straitened circumstances, in narrow straits, in dire straits; poor, ill-off, Inf. hard up, unable to make ends meet, unable to keep the wolf from the door; destitute, poverty-stricken, penniless, without a penny, without a sou, down-and-out. underscore, v. emphasize, stress, lay stress or emphasis upon, give emphasis to, punctuate, accent, accentuate; underline, italicize, point up, call attention to, mark, bring home, press home; feature, highlight, spotlight, play up, give prominence to, bring to the fore, bring into relief, Inf. headline; intensify, strengthen, heighten, deepen.
undersea, adj. underwater, submarine, subaqueous. See also underwater, undersell, v. 1. undercut; underprice, undercharge, sacrifice, sell at a loss, sell wholesale.
2. soft sell, play down, understate, undersized, adj. 1. underdeveloped, atrophied, stunted, truncated, stubby, squat, undersize; dwarfish, runtish, runty, pygmy, Med. nanoid; short, little, small, Chiefly Scot. wee, miniscule, minikin, diminutive, Scot. cutly, tiny, elfin, bantam, slight; All SI. pint-sized, pocket-sized, sawed-off, knee-high to a grasshopper.
2. skinny, scrawny, scraggy, gaunt, lank; rawboned, bony, skin and bones; underweight; undernourished, underfed, starved; emaciated, wasted, wizened, understand, v. 1. comprehend, fathom, penetrate, learn, savvy, glean, get the idea, Inf. get it, SI. get into, Inf. get through one's head, U.S. Inf. figure out, Inf. psych out; grasp, seize, Inf. catch on, SI. get the hang of, Inf. get the drift of, Inf. get a fix on, Brit, lay hold of, SI. latch onto; perceive, apprehend, discern, make out, Inf. make heads or tails of, Brit, twig; recognize, see, see through, see the light, get the picture, read, read [s.o.] like a book, read [s.o.'s] mind.
2. know, cognize, be acquainted with, be familiar with, have knowledge of, Inf. know the ropes, Inf. pick up; be cognizant of, be conscious of, be aware of, be in the know; master, feel comfortable with, be conversant with.