Meanings
- On or above the surface of the ground.
"This place Rome? It is but the tomb of mighty Rome." He showed Gerard . . . the gigantic vestiges of antiquity that peeped aboveground here and there.
1861, Charles Reade, chapter 60, in The Cloister and the Hearth1 more example
Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.
2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 172Synonyms: superterranean
- Not of or relating to the social or political underground; in the open; existing within or produced by the establishment.
More disturbing was that zines and underground culture didn't seem to be any sort of threat to this aboveground world.
2003, Henry Jenkins III, Tara McPherson, Jane Shattuc, Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture, page 2282 more examples
And they argue that if aboveground activists continue to express public sympathy for their underground counterparts […]
2006 March, “Watching What You Eat”, in Indianapolis Monthly, page 82But there is yet another interlocutor that precedes the underground culture of zines: the aboveground world of straight society.
2014, Stephen Duncombe, Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative CultureSynonyms: mainstream, official
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseOn or above the surface of the ground.
prepositional phraseNot dead and buried; alive.
prepositional phraseNot of or relating to the social or political underground; in the open; existing within or produced by the establishment.
antonym(s) of
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek ὑπέργειος
- ὑπέργειος (hupérgeios)on or above the surface of the ground
Bulgarian над земята, жив
- над земята (nad zemjata)on or above the surface of the ground
- жив (živ)figuratively: not dead and buried; alive
Czech nadzemní
- nadzemníon or above the surface of the ground
Dutch bovengronds, aan de oppervlakte
- bovengrondson or above the surface of the ground
- aan de oppervlakteon or above the surface of the ground
- nog in levenfiguratively: not dead and buried; alive
- nog niet dood en begravenfiguratively: not dead and buried; alive
- openlijkexisting within or produced by the establishment
- in klaarlichte dagexisting within or produced by the establishment
Finnish maanpäällinen, maanpinnan yläpuolinen
- maanpäällinenon or above the surface of the ground
- maanpinnan yläpuolinenon or above the surface of the ground
- tämänpuoleinenfiguratively: not dead and buried; alive
- maanpäällinenfiguratively: not dead and buried; alive
- valtavirtainenexisting within or produced by the establishment
Icelandic ofanjarðar
- ofanjarðaron or above the surface of the ground
Irish os cionn talún
- os cionn talúnfiguratively: not dead and buried; alive
Polish nadziemny
- nadziemnyon or above the surface of the ground
Cite this entry
above ground. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/above%20ground
“above ground.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/above%20ground. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “above ground,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/above%20ground.
Source: above ground on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.