below, esp if covered, protected, or obscured by not as great or good as would be demanded by: beneath his dignity
below; underneath
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
be•neath /bɪˈniθ/USA pronunciation
adv.
prep.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- in or to a lower position;
below:From the mountain he looked down to the fjord beneath.
prep.
- below;
under: They lived beneath the same roof. - farther down than: the drawer beneath the top one.
- lower down on a slope than: beneath the crest of a hill.
- less important than;
inferior to: A captain is beneath a major. - below the level or dignity of;
not worthy of: Your remarks are beneath contempt (= Your remarks are not even worthy of contempt, they are so bad).
be•neath
(bi nēth′, -nēᵺ′),USA pronunciation adv.
prep.
- below;
in or to a lower place, position, state, or the like. - underneath:heaven above and the earth beneath.
prep.
- below;
under:beneath the same roof. - farther down than;
underneath;
lower in place than:The first drawer beneath the top one. - lower down on a slope than:beneath the crest of a hill.
- inferior or less important, as in position, rank, or power:A captain is beneath a major.
- unworthy of;
below the level or dignity of:to regard others as beneath one; behavior that was beneath contempt.
- Middle English benethe, Old English beneothan, equivalent. to be- be- + neothan below, akin to Old High German nidana. See nether bef. 900
- 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See below.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged above.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'from beneath' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):