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Definitions

under-the-table

[uhn-der-thuh-tey-buhl] / ˈʌn dər ðəˈteɪ bəl /

ADJECTIVE

blind drunk

Synonyms

WEAK

besotted buzzed crocked dead drunk groggy inebriated intoxicated loaded pissed plastered sloshed smashed soused stiff tipsy wasted

Antonyms

WEAK

sober

ADJECTIVE

drunk

Synonyms

STRONGEST

stoned tipsy

STRONG

bashed befuddled buzzed crocked flushed flying fuddled glazed high inebriate inebriated laced lit muddled plastered potted sloshed stewed tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

boozed up feeling no pain groggy juiced liquored up seeing double three sheets to the wind tight under the influence

Antonyms

STRONG

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

looped

Synonyms

STRONG

bashed befuddled buzzed crocked flushed flying fuddled glazed inebriated intoxicated laced lit muddled plastered potted sloshed stewed stoned tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

besotted boozed up crapulent crapulous drunk as a skunk drunken feeling no pain groggy half-seas over high high as a kite in one's cups juiced liquored up seeing double sodden three sheets to the wind tight tipsy under the influence

Antonyms

STRONG

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

pickled

Synonyms

STRONGEST

glazed stewed

STRONG

bashed befuddled buzzed crocked flushed flying fuddled inebriate inebriated intoxicated laced lit muddled plastered potted sloshed stoned tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

besotted boozed up crapulent crapulous drunk as a skunk drunken feeling no pain groggy half-seas over high high as a kite in one's cups juiced liquored up seeing double sodden three sheets to the wind tight tipsy under the influence

Antonyms

STRONG

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

plastered

Synonyms

STRONG

bashed blitzed bombed buzzed crocked flushed flying fried gone inebriated lit loaded pissed polluted potted sauced sloshed stewed stoned tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

boozed up dead drunk dead to the world drunk as a skunk drunken feeling good feeling no pain groggy half in the bag half-crocked high hooched up juiced liquored up schnockered seeing double three sheets to the wind tipsy under the influence woozy zonked

ADJECTIVE

potted

Synonyms

STRONG

bashed befuddled buzzed crocked flushed flying fuddled glazed inebriate inebriated intoxicated laced lit muddled plastered sloshed stewed stoned tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

besotted boozed up crapulent crapulous drunk as a skunk drunken feeling no pain groggy half-seas over high high as a kite in one's cups juiced liquored up seeing double sodden three sheets to the wind tight tipsy under the influence

Antonyms

STRONG

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

sloshed

Synonyms

STRONG

bashed befuddled buzzed crocked flushed flying fuddled glazed inebriate inebriated intoxicated laced lit muddled plastered potted stewed stoned tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

besotted boozed up crapulent crapulous drunk as a skunk drunken feeling no pain groggy half-seas over high high as a kite in one's cups juiced liquored up seeing double sodden three sheets to the wind tight tipsy under the influence

Antonyms

STRONG

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

soused

Synonyms

STRONG

bashed buzzed crocked flushed flying inebriated intoxicated laced lit plastered potted sloshed smashed stewed stoned tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

boozed up feeling no pain groggy high juiced liquored up seeing double three sheets to the wind tipsy under the influence

Antonyms

STRONG

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

stewed

Synonyms

STRONG

bashed befuddled buzzed crocked flushed flying fuddled glazed inebriate inebriated intoxicated laced lit muddled plastered potted sloshed stoned tanked totaled wasted

WEAK

besotted boozed up crapulent crapulous drunk as a skunk drunken feeling no pain groggy half-seas over high high as a kite in one's cups juiced liquored up seeing double sodden three sheets to the wind tight tipsy under the influence

Antonyms

STRONG

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

stinko

Synonyms

WEAK

bashed befuddled besotted boozed up buzzed crapulent crapulous crocked drunk as a skunk drunken feeling no pain flushed flying fuddled glazed groggy half-seas over high high as a kite in one's cups inebriate inebriated intoxicated juiced laced liquored up lit muddled plastered potted seeing double sloshed sodden stewed stoned tanked three sheets to the wind tight tipsy totaled under the influence wasted

ADJECTIVE

under the influence

Synonyms

WEAK

bashed buzzed crocked drunk inebriated intoxicated loaded pickled plastered stewed stoned tanked tipsy totaled under the influence of intoxicating liquor wasted

Antonyms

WEAK

sober straight

ADJECTIVE

zonked

Synonyms

WEAK

bashed boozed up buzzed crocked feeling no pain flying high inebriated juiced laced liquored up lit plastered seeing double sloshed stewed stoned tanked three sheets to the wind tipsy totaled under the influence wasted

ADJECTIVE

behind-the-scenes

Synonyms

WEAK

backstage behind the curtain in a corner in the background in the dark sub-rosa

ADJECTIVE

covert

Synonyms

STRONGEST

hidden surreptitious undercover

STRONG

private privy secret

WEAK

buried camouflaged cloaked concealed disguised dissembled furtive hush-hush incog incognito masked obscured on the Q.T. shrouded stealthy sub-rosa ulterior under wraps underhand unsuspected veiled

Antonyms

STRONGEST

open

STRONG

known public revealed unconcealed

WEAK

aboveboard candid frank honest overt

ADJECTIVE

furtive

Synonyms

STRONGEST

clandestine conspiratorial covert surreptitious

WEAK

artful calculating cautious circumspect cloaked crafty creepy cunning disguised elusive evasive foxy guileful hidden hush-hush insidious masked scheming shifty skulking slinking sly stealthy sub-rosa tricky under wraps undercover underhand underhanded wily

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aboveboard honest open

WEAK

forthright truthful

ADJECTIVE

hush-hush

Synonyms

STRONGEST

confidential

WEAK

clandestine classified closet covert dark private restricted sub-rosa surreptitious undercover

Antonyms

WEAK

known public revealed told

ADJECTIVE

illegal

Synonyms

STRONGEST

banned criminal illegitimate illicit irregular outlawed prohibited smuggled unauthorized unconstitutional unlawful unlicensed unwarranted wrongful

WEAK

actionable black-market bootleg contraband crooked extralegal felonious forbidden heavy hot interdicted lawless not approved not legal outside the law proscribed prosecutable racket shady sub-rosa taboo unofficial unwarrantable verboten violating wildcat

Antonyms

STRONGEST

authorized blessed ethical good justifiable lawful legal legitimate moral permitted right warranted

WEAK

allowed permissible

ADJECTIVE

outlawed

Synonyms

STRONGEST

banned prohibited

STRONG

bootleg crooked forbidden interdicted proscribed racket smuggled taboo violating

WEAK

actionable black-market contraband criminal extralegal felonious heavy hot illegitimate illicit irregular lawless not approved not legal outside the law prosecutable shady sub-rosa unauthorized unconstitutional unlawful unlicensed unofficial unwarrantable unwarranted verboten wildcat wrongful

Antonyms

STRONG

allowed

ADJECTIVE

secret

Synonyms

STRONGEST

classified confidential covert furtive hush-hush restricted secretive surreptitious

STRONG

backdoor backstairs close inside sneak

WEAK

camouflaged cryptic discreet disguised dissembled dissimulated in ambush incognito sly sneaky stealthy sub-rosa top-secret unacknowledged under false pretense underhanded

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aboveboard forthright honest known open public

WEAK

clear defined explicit legal legitimate revealed unconcealed

ADJECTIVE

surreptitious

Synonyms

STRONGEST

clandestine covert furtive hush-hush unauthorized

WEAK

fraudulent hidden hole-and-corner on the Q.T. on the sly private skulking slinking sly sneaking stealthy sub-rosa under wraps undercover underhand veiled

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aboveboard forthright honest open public truthful

WEAK

authorized

ADJECTIVE

unauthorized

Synonyms

STRONGEST

illegal illegitimate pirated unapproved unconstitutional unjustified unlawful unofficial unwarranted wrongful

WEAK

crooked dirty no-no off base out of bounds out of line over the line shady unsanctioned wildcat

Antonyms

STRONGEST

authorized ethical good justifiable lawful legal legitimate moral reasonable right warranted

WEAK

allowable official permitted

ADVERB

secretly

Synonyms

STRONGEST

clandestinely covertly furtively personally privately quietly stealthily surreptitiously

WEAK

behind closed doors behind someone's back by stealth confidentially hush-hush in camera in confidence in holes and corners in secret in strict confidence insidiously intimately obscurely on the Q.T. on the quiet on the sly privily slyly sub-rosa under the table underhandedly unobserved

Antonyms

STRONGEST

publicly

WEAK

openly

ADVERB

under the counter

Synonyms

WEAK

bootleg illicitly under the table

Antonyms

WEAK

aboveboard

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

North Korea’s pre-Covid economy had increasingly centered on black markets selling goods smuggled from China or under-the-table local goods—and with it the rise of a “donju” merchant class who made their wealth outside state control.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Others have questioned how common such under-the-table payments might be, since there are no disclosure requirements for paid content at the federal level and few jurisdictions have any rules mandating it.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

Pilot’s former CEO also extended the offer of under-the-table payments to at least 10 other executives in April, according to Berkshire’s filing.

From Washington Times • Nov. 29, 2023

The revelations caused a huge scandal and inspired mammoth state probes into the scale of under-the-table lobbying in Irish politics.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2023

They were not more than four or five inches thick, but that is the ideal height for an under-the-table cushion.

From The House in Good Taste by Wolfe, Elsie de