subcurrent

American  

[suhb-kur-uhnt, -kuhr-] / ˈsʌbˌkɜr ənt, -ˌkʌr- /

noun

1. a not clearly revealed or formulated direction of thought, intention, action, etc., underlying what is manifested.

   His words, though ostensibly friendly, betrayed a subcurrent of hostility.

---

Etymology

Origin of subcurrent

First recorded in 1900–05; sub- + current

Example Sentences

As a text, it hints at the subcurrent of popular culture that flows beneath our greatest literature.

From The Guardian • Oct. 29, 2012

The old myth of age to youth and the subcurrent of sin with its stalking, laughing, subtle Mephistopheles.

From The Blind Spot by Hall, Austin

I became interested and gradually took up with his speculation; for all my love of action I found that I had a strong subcurrent for the philosophical.

From The Blind Spot by Hall, Austin

The Rhine—romantic, cultivated, artificial, with a rough subcurrent and a muddy bed—through Germany.

From The Sowers by Merriman, Henry Seton

She talked volubly, and with just that pitch in her voice that betrays a subcurrent of excitement.

From Gordon Keith by Page, Thomas Nelson