underbelly
noun
un·der·bel·ly
ˈən-dər-ˌbe-lē 
1
: a vulnerable area
also
: a corrupt or sordid part
probing the underbelly of the entertainment industry
2
: the underside of a body or mass
Synonyms
Examples of underbelly in a Sentence
They exposed the underbelly of the nation's economic policy.
the sordid underbelly of city life
Recent Examples on the Web
The soft underbelly of all malign autocracies, including China and Russia, is their deep and incurable corruption.
—
Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman) seeks to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist while Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram), a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 18 June 2024
Natalie Portman stars as Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife seeking to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist, alongside Ingram’s Cleo Johnson, a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 18 June 2024
The murder of Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram), a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family, becomes a news story that Maddie just can’t let go of until justice is served.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for underbelly 
Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz (Natalie Portman) seeks to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist while Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram), a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 18 June 2024
Natalie Portman stars as Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife seeking to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist, alongside Ingram’s Cleo Johnson, a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 18 June 2024
The murder of Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram), a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family, becomes a news story that Maddie just can’t let go of until justice is served.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for underbelly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underbelly.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Underbelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underbelly. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underbelly
noun
un·der·bel·ly
ˈən-dər-ˌbel-ē
: the underpart of a body or mass
the underbelly of a bomber
also
: an area open to attack or damage
the army's underbelly
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