underclothing

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableformalold-fashioned

   Clothes worn next to the skin beneath outer clothes, such as vests and slips.

   Grammar: No plural and no a/an: warm underclothing.

   Patterns

   • warm underclothing
   • change your underclothing

   The explorers packed extra warm underclothing for the winter trek.

   Old catalogs listed underclothing in several pages.

   She hung her underclothing out to dry.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   Used in specific trades and uniforms for the basic layer worn under a protective suit.

   Grammar: Often used in technical or military contexts.

   Patterns

   • thermal underclothing
   • protective underclothing

   Divers wear thermal underclothing beneath their suits.

   The soldiers were issued woolen underclothing.

   Fireproof underclothing must be worn in the lab.

Common combinations

thermal underclothing

Thermal underclothing kept him warm on the mountain.

woolen underclothing

Her grandmother wore woolen underclothing.

change one's underclothing

He changed his underclothing after the swim.

light underclothing

Light underclothing is best in summer.

Synonyms and how they differ

underwear

Underwear is the common modern word, while underclothing sounds formal or old.

undergarments

It is more polite and often used in shops for items such as slips.

lingerie

Lingerie is fashionable women's underwear, usually silky or lacy.

underthings

It is a casual, slightly old-fashioned word.

Opposites

Word family

clothing noun

clothes in general

underclothes noun

plural form meaning underwear

underwear noun

clothes worn under others

clothe verb

to provide with clothes

Commonly confused: underclothing or underclothes?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “underclothing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words