Subterranean Meaning
/ˌsʌbtəˈɹeɪniən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjBelow ground, under the earth, underground.
adjSecret, concealed.
Sentence Examples
Yanni visited a subterranean tunnel.
For thousands of years, the Martians had to live enclosed in buildings or subterranean structures.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The explorers discovered a mysterious ____ river flowing deep inside the dark cave.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We explored the ____ caves that stretched for many miles beneath the surface of the mountain range.
Word Origin & History
From Latin subterrāneus + -an. Compare subterrane and subterraneous.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Again the bearers took up the coffin, and cold and damp the subterranean air came from the opened vault. The tapers were lowered, and shed a ghastly light on the rows of piled coffins, and the moisture glittering on the walls."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 162:
"And you were in the parking lot / Subterranean by your own design"
— 1975, Joni Mitchell, “The Boho Dance”, in The Hissing of Summer Lawns:
"This is a story of north-south connection, and it begins with the fact that late in 1863 the Great Northern Railway completed a subterranean connection from its terminus at King's Cross to the tracks of the Metropolitan enabling the Great Northern to run through to the Met's easterly terminus at Farringdon Street."
— 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 52:
"The best way to neutralise its [nuclear waste's] threat is to move it into a subterranean vault, of the kind the UK plans to build later this century. Once interred, the waste will be left alone for tens of thousands of years, while its radioactivity cools."
— 2022 December 15, Samanth Subramanian, “Dismantling Sellafield: the epic task of shutting down a nuclear site”, in The Guardian:
"Today is that most sacred of American holidays. A day when people from all walks of life set aside their differences and focus their undivided attention on the prognostication abilities of a subterranean rodent."
— 2025 February 2, Andrew Torgan and Kimberly Richardson, “Start your week smart: Trump tariffs, DC air collision, hostages released, medevac jet crash, FAA system outage”, in CNN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The explorers discovered a mysterious ____ river flowing deep inside the dark cave.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We explored the ____ caves that stretched for many miles beneath the surface of the mountain range.