Meaning & use
underlying assumption
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Meaning
nouncountableformal
a belief that is not stated openly but that supports an idea, plan, or argument
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an underlying assumption' or 'the underlying assumptions of the theory'.
Patterns
- the underlying assumption that ...
- an underlying assumption behind something
- challenge/question an underlying assumption
The whole report rests on the underlying assumption that prices will stay stable.
One underlying assumption of the study is that all participants told the truth.
If you question the underlying assumption, the argument falls apart.
Word forms
| plural | underlying assumptions |
|---|
Common combinations
- challenge an underlying assumption
- Good researchers challenge every underlying assumption in their field.
- question an underlying assumption
- The teacher asked us to question the underlying assumption behind the survey.
- rest on an underlying assumption
- His theory rests on an underlying assumption that people act rationally.
- the underlying assumption behind something
- What is the underlying assumption behind this policy?
Synonyms and how they differ
- premise
- 'Premise' is a stated idea that an argument starts from; an underlying assumption is usually unstated and hidden.
- presupposition
- 'Presupposition' is more technical and often refers to something taken for granted in language or logic.
- belief
- 'Belief' is a general word for something you accept as true; 'underlying assumption' suggests it quietly supports a larger idea.
Word family
- assume verb
- to think something is true without proof
- assumption noun
- something you accept as true without proof
- underlie verb
- to be the hidden cause or basis of something
Commonly confused: underlying assumption or basic assumption?
underlying assumption vs basic assumption
'Basic' means simple or fundamental; 'underlying' means hidden beneath the surface. A basic assumption may be openly stated, but an underlying one usually is not.
Practice
The theory rests on the ______ that people always behave rationally.
Choose one answer.
'Underlying assumption' fits because the sentence is about an unstated belief that supports a theory. 'Underlying structure' refers to a hidden system, not a belief.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “underlying assumption”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.