How to Use underlying in a Sentence

underlying

adjective
  • The funds are tied to an underlying index, such as the S&P 500.
    Kate Dore, Cfp®, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2024
  • But the underlying problem seems to be the food itself.
    Jay Root, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2023
  • The good news is that there are a handful of ways to address it, depending on the underlying cause.
    Melinda Wenner Moyer, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Jack had no underlying conditions and was in good health, and at first the symptoms looked a lot like a common cold.
    Kathleen Felton, SELF, 27 Sep. 2024
  • As well as some sugary snacks to soothe the underlying guilt that comes with sharing your children.
    Jemima Kirke, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
  • The underlying goal is to help make the American system work as it was designed.
    David Montgomery, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2022
  • Most of the deaths were among the elderly, the very young or those with underlying medical problems.
    Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2022
  • Other times, the underlying cause may be a bony structure.
    Meredith Butulis, Outside Online, 14 Oct. 2022
  • Deep burns can destroy the underlying nerve endings and the body goes into shock, limiting the level of pain — in the initial stages.
    Mike Baker, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023
  • Jensen wants to become a physician in part to help work on some of the underlying structural reasons people in her tribe die so young.
    Usha Lee McFarling, STAT, 21 July 2022
  • Yes, there is an underlying look, but goth is so much more than an aesthetic.
    Tish Weinstock, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2024
  • The underlying issue seems to be the lack of communication between the safeties and the corners.
    Lance Reisland, cleveland, 21 Sep. 2022
  • The underlying cause of TN, when it can be found, is most commonly compression of the nerve, usually in the brainstem where the nerve root starts.
    Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 2 Nov. 2022
  • The steep rise in interest rates last year may have helped mask any underlying malaise in the Swiss financial system.
    Bastian Benrath, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024
  • The tendon is then split to expose underlying tissues and bone.
    Oluseun Olufade, Verywell Health, 1 May 2024
  • Black is simply a dark version of another color, so look at the lighter shades on the paint strip to determine the underlying hue.
    Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Nov. 2023
  • Many scientists sought to treat the underlying cause of the disease by trying to repair the faulty gene, according to the foundation.
    Jonathan Saltzman, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Love: But the underlying factor in all of this might not have anything to do with romantic connections at all.
    Shayla Love, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2023
  • The microrobots would probe through a moon’s frozen crust into underlying oceans.
    Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 21 July 2022
  • Dann said the underlying question of whether DeWine had the power to block this money was already answered by the appeals court, which found DeWine overstepped.
    Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 22 Nov. 2022
  • Yes, there are many challenges and struggles, but there is no underlying estrangement here — and this is never in doubt.
    Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 13 May 2024
  • Uber said that the pace of improvement in the underlying business might moderate.
    Preetika Rana, WSJ, 2 Aug. 2022
  • The underlying assumption is that the brain processes the world and our experience of it through a progression of words.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2023
  • The eggs in the nest represent a wondrous sign of hope – an underlying theme of McNeal’s novel, along with patience, constancy, and deep trust.
    Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024
  • The debate over the rule focused little on the underlying substance of the bill but instead simply on procedure.
    Ben Jacobs, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 14 June 2024
  • The sauce is fantastic for adding an underlying layer of spice to your cooking or just on top of a beautifully fried egg.
    Times Food Staff, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2022
  • Helms offered an insight to an underlying issue that others may be asking, which is: To what end?
    Dan Balz, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Oct. 2022
  • Older people and young kids are more at risk as are those with underlying conditions.
    Lizzie Hyman, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024
  • If an underlying health condition (like melanoma) is causing nail changes, the goal is to treat the condition, which often resolves the nail discoloration.
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 10 Oct. 2024
  • McBurney had also struck the law down in 2022, but the Georgia Supreme Court last year overturned that ruling, allowing the law to remain in effect and sending the underlying lawsuit back to the lower court.
    Sareen Habeshian, Axios, 7 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underlying.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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