subterranean

adjective

ˌsəb-tə-ˈrā-nē-ən How to pronounce subterranean (audio)
Definition of subterraneannext
as in underground
being, situated, or operating beneath the surface of the earth a subterranean bunker that supposedly could withstand even an atomic blast

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subterranean North Korean military engineers—renowned for building massive subterranean installations—also helped Iran design and construct hardened missile silos, underground networks, and nuclear facility bunkers. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 Introduce subterranean parking, a row of tall trees or buildings, or a week of overcast weather, and the energy-positive calculus unravels. — New Atlas, 16 Aug. 2026 The reservoir is renewed by subterranean streams flowing through Dwyka rock formations dated at around 280 million years old, meaning the water moves through layers that existed long before dinosaurs walked the earth. — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 If so, then dark oxygen might not be some kind of subterranean aberration. — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for subterranean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subterranean
underground
Adjective
  • Deep underground salt behaves like a slow-moving plastic under the weight of the earth (salt creep).
    — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, was powered up in an underground tunnel near Geneva, Switzerland.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of underground

Browse Nearby Words

subterfuge
subterranean
subtile
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Subterranean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subterranean. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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