underlying

Adjective

• being or involving basic facts or principles
  • the fundamental laws of the universe
    
  • a fundamental incomatibility between them
    
  • these rudimentary truths
    
  • underlying principles
    

• located beneath or below

• in the nature of something though not readily apparent
  • shortcomings inherent in our approach
    
  • an underlying meaning
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  fundamental , rudimentary , implicit in(p) , inherent