underlying cause
The fundamental or primary reason for a problem or situation, not the surface-level factor.
writing-task-2readingHealthEnvironmentGovernment and society
IELTS use
Argues deep roots of issues in Task 2 essays, relevant to policy analysis.
Examples
- The underlying cause of obesity is often a sedentary lifestyle.
- Poverty is an underlying cause of crime in many cities.
Collocations
- underlying cause
- Identifying the underlying cause of the disease is crucial.
Word family
- Noun
- cause
- Adjective
- underlying
Paraphrases
- root cause: More common, slightly less formal.
- fundamental reason: Similar meaning, formal.
Common mistakes
- underlining cause to underlying cause. 'Underlying' is the correct word, not 'underlining'.
- the cause underlying of the problem to the underlying cause of the problem. Word order is important.