Meanings
noununderwear (usually uncountable, plural underwears)
plural underwears
- uncountableusuallyClothes worn next to the skin, underneath outer clothing.
Don't scratch and bite, my little bear, you'll soon need bigger underwear.
1998, Banjo-Kazooie, Rareware1 more example
As a couple of soldiers sing a dirty song, he loses sight of the edge of the stage and falls off in the middle of his dance like a seasoned slapstick artist, his white legs in the air and his filthy underwear visible to all.
2016 June 30, Stefan Hertmans, War and Turpentine, Random House, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 202Synonyms: drawers, innerwear, netherwear, shreddies, underclothes, underdress, undergarment, undies · Antonyms: outerwear, overwear
- colloquialuncountableusuallyUnderpants (boxers, briefs, panties, etc) and often bras.
“A thong,” she answered him breathlessly. Now completely turned on by the fact that his man was sniffing her underwear and grinning like a tiger that took down its prey. That is if tigers could smile and still look sexy.
2006, Toni L. Meilleur, Tournament of Fire
Synonyms & antonyms
nounClothes worn next to the skin, underneath outer clothing.
Broader
Narrower
UndershirtsA-shirtathletic shirtcamisolesingletundershirtvestwifebeaterFoundation garmentsbodylinerbodysuitcorseletcorselettecorsetgirdleleotardmirdleshapewearunitardBrasbandeaubikini topbrabrassieresports bramaternity branursing bratraining brawonderbraUnderpantsathletic supportathletic supporterbloomersbike jockey strapbikini briefsbikinibriefsboxer briefsboxersboxer shorts
More synonyms by meaning
nounundergarment worn next to the skin and under the outer garments
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁entér
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂én
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-?
- Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰí
- Proto-Indo-European*(H)n̥dʰér
- Proto-Germanic*under
- Proto-West Germanic*undar
- Old Englishunder-
- Middle Englishunder-
- Englishunder-
- Proto-Indo-European*wes-
- Proto-Indo-European*woséyeti
- Proto-Germanic*wazjaną
- Proto-West Germanic*waʀjan
- Old Englishwerian
- Middle Englishweren
- Englishwear
- Englishunderwear
From under- + -wear. Compare Dutch ondergoed, German Unterwäsche, Swedish underkläder.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans onderklere
- onderklereclothes worn next to the skin
Ancient Greek διάζωμα, ζῶμα
- διάζωμα (diázōma)clothes worn next to the skin
- ζῶμα (zôma)clothes worn next to the skin
- περίζωμα (perízōma)clothes worn next to the skin
Arabic مَلَابِس دَاخِلِيَّة, لِبَاس دَاخِلِيّ
- مَلَابِس دَاخِلِيَّة (malābis dāḵiliyya)clothes worn next to the skin
- لِبَاس دَاخِلِيّ (libās dāḵiliyy)clothes worn next to the skin
- ملابس داخلية (malābis dākhiliyyah)underpants and bras
Bulgarian бельо́
- бельо́ (beljó)clothes worn next to the skin
Catalan roba interior
- roba interiorclothes worn next to the skin
Chinese Cantonese 內衣 /内衣, 底衫
- 內衣 /内衣 (noi⁶ ji¹)clothes worn next to the skin
- 底衫 (dai² saam¹)clothes worn next to the skin
- 底衫褲 /底衫裤 (dai² saam¹ fu³)clothes worn next to the skin
- 內衣褲 /内衣裤 (noi⁶ ji¹ fu³)clothes worn next to the skin
Chinese Mandarin 內衣 /内衣, 襯衣 /衬衣
- 內衣 /内衣 (nèiyī)clothes worn next to the skin
- 襯衣 /衬衣 (chènyī)clothes worn next to the skin
- 內衣褲 /内衣裤 (nèiyīkù)clothes worn next to the skin
- 內衣褲 /内衣裤 (nèiyīkù)underpants and bras
Czech spodní prádlo
- spodní prádloclothes worn next to the skin
Danish undertøj
- undertøjclothes worn next to the skin
Dutch ondergoed
- ondergoedclothes worn next to the skin
Esperanto subvesto, kalsono
- subvestoclothes worn next to the skin
- kalsonoclothes worn next to the skin
Estonian ihupesu, aluspesu
- ihupesuclothes worn next to the skin
- aluspesuunderpants and bras
Finnish alusvaatteet, alusvaatteet
- alusvaatteetclothes worn next to the skin
- alusvaatteetunderpants and bras
French sous-vêtement
- sous-vêtementclothes worn next to the skin
German Unterwäsche
- Unterwäscheclothes worn next to the skin
Greek εσώρουχο, εσώρουχο
- εσώρουχο (esóroucho)clothes worn next to the skin
- εσώρουχο (esóroucho)underpants and bras
Hebrew תַּחְתּוֹנִים
- תַּחְתּוֹנִים (takhtonim)clothes worn next to the skin
Hindi अधोवस्त्र, चड्डी
- अधोवस्त्र (adhovastra)clothes worn next to the skin
- चड्डी (caḍḍī)underpants and bras
- कच्छा (kacchā)underpants and bras
- कच्छ (kacch)underpants and bras
- जाँघिया (jāṅghiyā)underpants and bras
- जांघिया (jāṅghiyā)underpants and bras
Hungarian alsónemű, fehérnemű
- alsóneműclothes worn next to the skin
- fehérneműclothes worn next to the skin
Icelandic nærföt, nærföt
- nærfötclothes worn next to the skin
- nærfötunderpants and bras
Irish fo-éadaí
- fo-éadaíclothes worn next to the skin
Italian biancheria intima, intimo
- biancheria intimaclothes worn next to the skin
- intimoclothes worn next to the skin
- (colluquial) mutandeclothes worn next to the skin
Japanese 下着, 肌着
- 下着 (shitagi)clothes worn next to the skin
- 肌着 (hadagi)clothes worn next to the skin
- 下着 (shitagi)underpants and bras
Korean 속옷
- 속옷 (sogot)clothes worn next to the skin
Latvian apakšveļa
- apakšveļaclothes worn next to the skin
Lithuanian apatiniai
- apatiniaiclothes worn next to the skin
Māori toroiho
- toroihoclothes worn next to the skin
Norwegian Bokmål undertøy, dameundertøy
- undertøyclothes worn next to the skin
- dameundertøyclothes worn next to the skin
Persian لباس زیر
- لباس زیر (lebâs-e zir)clothes worn next to the skin
Polish bielizna, bielizna
- bieliznaclothes worn next to the skin
- bieliznaunderpants and bras
Portuguese roupa de baixo, roupa íntima
- roupa de baixoclothes worn next to the skin
- roupa íntimaclothes worn next to the skin
- roupa interiorclothes worn next to the skin
Punjabi ਕੱਛਾ
- ਕੱਛਾ (kacchā)underpants and bras
Romanian chiloți, lenjerie de corp
- chiloțiclothes worn next to the skin
- lenjerie de corpclothes worn next to the skin
- izmeneclothes worn next to the skin
- indispensabiliclothes worn next to the skin
Russian ни́жнее бельё, испо́днее
- ни́жнее бельё (nížneje belʹjó)clothes worn next to the skin
- испо́днее (ispódneje)clothes worn next to the skin
- бельё (belʹjó)clothes worn next to the skin
Scottish Gaelic fo-aodach
- fo-aodachclothes worn next to the skin
Slovak spodná bielizeň
- spodná bielizeňclothes worn next to the skin
Spanish ropa interior, calzones
- ropa interiorclothes worn next to the skin
- calzonesclothes worn next to the skin
- chonesclothes worn next to the skin
Swahili chupi
- chupiclothes worn next to the skin
Swedish underplagg, underkläder
- underplaggclothes worn next to the skin
- underkläderclothes worn next to the skin
- underkläderunderpants and bras
Tagalog damit panloob, damit panloob
- damit panloobclothes worn next to the skin
- damit panloobunderpants and bras
Tamil ஜட்டி
- ஜட்டி (jaṭṭi)underpants and bras
Thai ชุดชั้นใน, ชั้นใน
- ชุดชั้นใน (chút-chán-nai)clothes worn next to the skin
- ชั้นใน (chán-nai)clothes worn next to the skin
Turkish iç çamaşırı
- iç çamaşırıclothes worn next to the skin
Ukrainian ни́жня біли́зна, біли́зна
- ни́жня біли́зна (nýžnja bilýzna)clothes worn next to the skin
- біли́зна (bilýzna)clothes worn next to the skin
Vietnamese quần áo lót, đồ lót
- quần áo lótclothes worn next to the skin
- đồ lótclothes worn next to the skin
- quần lótclothes worn next to the skin
- quần sịpclothes worn next to the skin
- quần xi-lípclothes worn next to the skin
- quần xìclothes worn next to the skin
- quần chípclothes worn next to the skin
- quần trongclothes worn next to the skin
- quần nhỏclothes worn next to the skin
- quần lótunderpants and bras
Welsh dilledyn isaf, dillad isaf
- dilledyn isafclothes worn next to the skin
- dillad isafclothes worn next to the skin
Yiddish אונטערוועש, וועש
- אונטערוועש (untervesh)clothes worn next to the skin
- וועש (vesh)clothes worn next to the skin
Cite this entry
APA
underwear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underwear
MLA
“underwear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underwear. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “underwear,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/underwear.
Source: underwear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.