Underbelly

Pronunciation: /ˈʌndərˌbɛli/

Definitions of underbelly

noun a vulnerable or weak part of something

Example Sentences

A1 The underbelly of the ship was painted in a dark color.

A2 Exploring the city's underbelly revealed a hidden world of crime and corruption.

B1 The journalist decided to investigate the underbelly of the political system.

B2 The documentary exposed the underbelly of the fashion industry, revealing unethical practices.

C1 The novel delves deep into the underbelly of society, exploring its darkest secrets.

C2 The underbelly of the criminal organization was finally exposed by law enforcement.

Examples of underbelly in a Sentence

formal The documentary explored the underbelly of the city's criminal underworld.

informal We stumbled upon the underbelly of the internet while browsing late at night.

slang I heard some shady stuff goes down in the underbelly of that neighborhood.

figurative The underbelly of society is often overlooked by those in positions of privilege.

Grammatical Forms of underbelly

• past tense: underbellyed
• plural: underbellies
• comparative: more underbelly
• superlative: most underbelly
• present tense: underbellies
• future tense: will underbelly
• perfect tense: have underbellyed
• continuous tense: is underbellying
• singular: underbelly
• positive degree: underbelly
• infinitive: to underbelly
• gerund: underbellying
• participle: underbellyed

Origin and Evolution of underbelly

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'underbelly' originated from the Old English word 'underbelig', which referred to the soft underside of an animal.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'underbelly' has come to be used metaphorically to describe the vulnerable or weakest part of something, not just in a physical sense.