underling
19
6.5
- noun
- /ˈʌndərˌlɪŋ/
:
subordinado
- He'd insisted on dealing with me himself, and not through some underling.
And one of Mccord's underlings called Schafler and said we're breaking into the Watergate tonight.
- And one of Mccord's underlings called Schafler and said we're breaking into the Watergate tonight.
- If you only see me on a show as I'm the oppressive boss, you know, I'm the the ditzy underling.
- Trump what's complete obedience from all the underlings, AKA American citizens.
- He's having to to address all of his, you know, all of his underlings needs.
Examples
-
Many of the new people treated her like a low-paid clerk or office underling.
Fiction book (1993) -
As a manager, I often delegate tasks to my underlings to ensure everything runs smoothly.
-
Only a rich person knew how to use that tone to put an underling in their place.
Fiction book (1999) -
My underlings call me sir.
-
I'll send a few underlings after him.
-
I leave that sort of thing to my underlings.
-
Man always seems to be one step ahead of his underlings.
-
In any achievement setting, leaders are responsible for the production of their underlings.
Academic text (2002) -
Buck felt the stares and smiles of the underlings as he moved through the outer office.
Fiction book (1997) -
Turns out they're refined, treat their underlings reasonably, and act with respect and decorum!
Blog text (14)
Synonyms
38
4.6
A person with a lower job rank who follows another's orders
24
3.8
A person who fights on foot or does basic work for a group
4
5.9
A person who has lower rank or status than others
1
7.2
A person who is second in charge and helps the main leader
A person of lower rank who serves others
A person with a rank just below the main leader in a group
A military officer just below a captain who follows the captain's orders
A deputy leader who helps guide and support people in a group
A teacher who helps the head teacher and looks after students
A servant who helps the head servant in a large house
Antonyms
How Senior
533
4.5
∞
1.6
346
2.8
∞
1.3
19
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
underling = (transparent) = under + ling
The formation 'under' + '-ling' yields a person who is 'under' someone; the subordinate sense is directly inferable. [Postprocessing: moved 'under' from base_words to prefix]
Etymology
Underling comes from under meaning 'below' and the ending -ling meaning 'small' or 'young', like in duckling. So an underling is someone 'below' you in rank, a person with lower status.