above ground

Prepositional phrase

1. 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 Hearth
   • 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 172

   Synonyms:

   superterranean

2. (figuratively) Not dead and buried; alive.
   • Alice: I told you, he don't have no wife, not aboveground, anyhow.1992, David Webb Peoples, Unforgiven, screenplay

   Synonyms:

   kicking

3. 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 228
   • 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 82

   Synonyms:

   mainstream, official