UNDERGROUND: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for UNDERGROUND?

Need another word that means the same as “underground”? Find 42 synonyms and 30 related words for “underground” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Underground” are: below ground, below the surface, under the earth, in the earth, behind closed doors, out of sight, clandestine, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, secret, surreptitious, undercover, belowground, subterranean, buried, sunken, covert, private, confidential, closet, backstair, stealthy, conspiratorial, concealed, hidden, alternative, radical, revolutionary, unconventional, unorthodox, avant-garde, experimental, innovative, groundbreaking, pioneering, novel, metro, subway, subway system, tube, resistance, resistance movement

Underground as a Noun

Definitions of "Underground" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “underground” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• A member of an underground political group or movement.
• An underground railway, especially the one in London.
• A group or movement organized secretly to work against an existing regime.
• An electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city.
• A secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force.
• A group or movement seeking to explore alternative forms of lifestyle or artistic expression.

Synonyms of "Underground" as a noun (6 Words)

metro	A major city or metropolitan region. Auditions were held in all major metros of the country.
resistance	The degree to which a substance or device opposes the passage of an electric current causing energy dissipation By Ohm s law resistance measured in ohms is equal to the voltage divided by the current. Government forces were unable to crush guerrilla style resistance.
resistance movement	A secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force.
subway	An underground railway. In Paris the subway system is called the metro and in London it is called the tube or the underground.
subway system	An electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city.
tube	The inner tube of a bicycle tyre. Watching the tube in a country bar.

Usage Examples of "Underground" as a noun

• In Paris the subway system is called the `metro' and in London it is called the `tube' or the `underground.
• Travel chaos on the Underground.
• They appealed to the undergrounds to stop their violent activities.
• The late sixties underground.
• The French underground.

Underground as an Adjective

Definitions of "Underground" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “underground” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Relating to or denoting a group or movement seeking to explore alternative forms of lifestyle or artistic expression; radical and experimental.
• Under the level of the ground.
• Relating to or denoting the secret activities of people working to subvert an established order.
• Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods.
• Situated beneath the surface of the ground.

Synonyms of "Underground" as an adjective (30 Words)

alternative	(of two things) mutually exclusive. An alternative lifestyle.
avant-garde	Radically new or original.
backstair	Secret and sly or sordid. Backstairs intimacies.
belowground	Under the level of the ground. Most of his friends are now belowground.
buried	Placed in a grave. Buried treasure.
clandestine	Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit. She deserved better than these clandestine meetings.
closet	Secret; covert. A closet smoker.
concealed	Hidden on any grounds for any motive. A concealed compartment in his briefcase.
confidential	Entrusted with private or restricted information. In confidential tone of voice.
conspiratorial	Relating to or characteristic of conspiracy or conspirators. There are several who think this is some sort of vast conspiratorial plot on the part of the press.
covert	Secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed. A woman covert.
experimental	Relating to scientific experiments. Experimental results.
groundbreaking	Innovative; pioneering. Groundbreaking research into fertility problems.
hidden	Difficult to find. A hidden room or place of concealment such as a priest hole.
hugger-mugger	In utter disorder.
hush-hush	Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods.
innovative	(of a person) introducing new ideas; original and creative in thinking. Innovative ways to help unemployed people.
novel	Original and of a kind not seen before. The computer produced a completely novel proof of a well known theorem.
pioneering	Involving new ideas or methods. His pioneering work on consciousness.
private	Concerning things deeply private and personal. Private property.
radical	Markedly new or introducing radical change. Radical political views.
revolutionary	Of or relating to or characteristic or causing an axial or orbital turn. The revolutionary army.
secret	Given in confidence or in secret. A secret marriage.
stealthy	Behaving or done in a cautious and surreptitious manner, so as not to be seen or heard. Stealthy footsteps.
subterranean	Lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed (especially being kept in the background or deliberately concealed)- Bertrand Russell. Subterranean motives for murder.
sunken	Having a sunken area. Her face was white with sunken cheeks.
surreptitious	Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of. A surreptitious glance at his watch.
unconventional	Not conventional or conformist. His unconventional approach to life.
undercover	Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods. An undercover police operation.
unorthodox	Independent in behavior or thought. An unorthodox lifestyle.

Usage Examples of "Underground" as an adjective

• Underground caverns.
• Underground resistance.
• Czech underground literature.
• The New York underground art scene.
• An underground car park.

Underground as an Adverb

Definitions of "Underground" as an adverb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “underground” as an adverb can have the following definitions:

• In or into hiding or secret operation.
• In or into secrecy or hiding, especially as a result of carrying out subversive political activities.
• Beneath the surface of the earth.
• Beneath the surface of the ground.

Synonyms of "Underground" as an adverb (6 Words)

behind closed doors	Of timepieces.
below ground	Further down.
below the surface	In or to a place that is lower.
in the earth	To or toward the inside of.
out of sight	Away from home.
under the earth	Further down.

Usage Examples of "Underground" as an adverb

• Many were forced to go underground by the government.
• Miners working underground.

Associations of "Underground" (30 Words)

basement	The floor of a building which is partly or entirely below ground level. Basement rocks.
below	Below deck. He jumped from the window into the moat below.
beneath	Hidden behind an appearance. The smile revealed the evil beneath.
burrow	Make a thorough inquiry; investigate. The child burrowed deeper into the bed.
bury	Enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing. I tried to bury these unpleasant memories.
cache	Provide hardware with a cache memory. The device comes complete with 4MB of RAM to cache the hard drive.
cave	Hollow out as if making a cave or opening. The narrow gorge contains a series of prehistoric caves.
cavern	Hollow out as if making a cavern. A dark cavern of a shop.
clandestine	Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit. Clandestine intelligence operations.
concealed	Not accessible to view. Concealed or hidden damage.
covert	A feather covering the base of a main flight or tail feather of a bird. Covert operations against the dictatorship.
crypt	An underground room or vault beneath a church, used as a chapel or burial place.
den	Of a wild animal live in a den. An opium den.
dig	The act of digging. She gave me a sharp dig in the ribs.
disguised	Having changed one’s appearance in order to conceal one’s identity. The disguised form of aggression available to the powerless against the powerful.
dripstone	A moulding over a door or window which deflects rain.
entomb	Place in a grave or tomb. The pharaohs were entombed in the pyramids.
excavate	Form by hollowing. Carnegie had a lake excavated for Princeton University s rowing team.
hidden	Designed to elude detection. Hidden valleys.
lair	The habitation of wild animals. He saw that his dogs had roused a wild boar from its lair.
mausoleum	A large burial chamber, usually above ground. A cultural mausoleum such as the Tate.
miner	A person who obtains units of a cryptocurrency by running computer processes to solve specific mathematical problems. The miners were freed after spending four days trapped underground.
secrecy	The action of keeping something secret or the state of being kept secret. The bidding is conducted in secrecy.
stalagmite	A cylinder of calcium carbonate projecting upward from the floor of a limestone cave.
stealthy	Behaving or done in a cautious and surreptitious manner, so as not to be seen or heard. Stealthy footsteps.
subterranean	Lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed (especially being kept in the background or deliberately concealed. Subterranean motives for murder.
surreptitious	Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of. Surreptitious mobilization of troops.
ulterior	Beyond what is immediate or present; coming in the future. Could there be an ulterior motive behind his request.
undercover	Conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods. An undercover police operation.
underneath	Situated directly below something else. Paint was peeling off in flakes to reveal greyish plaster underneath.