under
adverb · adjective · noun
Simple meaning
in a lower place than something, or less important
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhnderSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʌndɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
usually in compounds
Less than what is necessary to be adequate or suitable; insufficient.
In or to a lower or subordinate position, or a position beneath or below something, physically or figuratively.
Below the horizon
Down below
So as to pass beneath something.
Down to defeat, death, or ruin
adjective
Lower; beneath something.
In a state of subordination, submission or defeat.
informal
Having a particular property that is low, especially so as to be insufficient or lacking in a particular respect.
noun
The amount by which an actual total is less than the expected or required amount.
informal
Something having a particular property that is low or too low.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Less than what is necessary to be adequate or suitable; insufficient.
Used this way, under is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use under
- “Children six and under will be admitted free.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.