[noun] [C] - an emotion, belief, or characteristic of a situation that is hidden and usually negative or dangerous but that has an indirect effectundercurrents of racism/anxiety/violenceBeneath the smooth surface of day-to-day political life, one senses powerful and dangerous undercurrents.
UNDERCURRENT
Meaning of UNDERCURRENT in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012