What Is The Opposite Of Aforementioned?

What's Happening

“Aforementioned” points to something already covered earlier in your writing. Its counterpart, “undermentioned,” technically refers to something you plan to cover later. Honestly, this is one of those words that sounds more impressive in theory than it ever does in practice.

While “undermentioned” isn't grammatically wrong, it's practically extinct in modern writing. Most writers just avoid it altogether and use clearer options like “following” or “below.” After all, why risk confusing readers when simpler alternatives exist?

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Identify your reference point. Find where you'd normally use “aforementioned” to point to future content. You're essentially looking for that moment when you need to reference something coming up.
2. Replace with “undermentioned.” Type it where “aforementioned” would normally go. For example:
   The undermentioned policy updates take effect Q3 2026.
3. Check hyphenation. Use “undermentioned” as one word when it comes before a noun (like “undermentioned section”). But drop the hyphen if it follows the noun (like “the examples undermentioned”).
4. Read it aloud. If it sounds clunky to you, it'll sound clunky to everyone else. Rewrite the sentence instead. Something like:
   Updates effective Q3 2026 are listed below.

If This Didn’t Work

• Use “following” instead. It's clearer and way more common:
  The following guidelines update Q3 2026 policies.
• Restructure the sentence. Move the reference forward to avoid the whole issue:
  Q3 2026 policy updates are detailed below.
• Use “below” or “next.” These work great in emails and slides where you want to keep things simple:
  Details on Q3 2026 policies are below.

Prevention Tips

Set your style rules from the very beginning. Decide whether you're using “aforementioned”/“undermentioned,” “above”/“below,” or numbered sections. Put it in your style guide so future writers don't waste time puzzling over obscure terms. For international readers, “below” or “following” are much safer bets than the almost-never-used “undermentioned.”