low-level

American  

[loh-lev-uhl] / ˈloʊˈlɛv əl /

adjective

1. undertaken by or composed of members having a low status.

   a low-level discussion.

2. having low status.

   low-level personnel.

3. undertaken at or from a low altitude.

   low-level bombing.

4. Linguistics. occurring or operating at the phonetic level of linguistic representation or analysis.

   low-level rules governing assimilation.

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Etymology

Origin of low-level

First recorded in 1880–85

Explanation

Someone who's described as being low-level has very little authority in their job or position. A low-level employee at the F.B.I. might be the person who answers the phone, or who cleans people's offices at the end of the day. A low-level police officer's job might involve giving speeding tickets, rather than investigating murders, and a low-level librarian might be stuck shelving books, instead of ordering new ones or archiving historical manuscripts. Another meaning of low-level is physically low, or at a low altitude: "I feel like I could almost touch that low-level cloud."

Example Sentences

Several factors appear to drive this decline, including accumulated cellular damage, changes in gene activity, chronic low-level inflammation, and shifts in the bone marrow environment.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026

McDonnell and other police officials have said staffing shortages are limiting the department’s ability to respond quickly to low-level crimes, leading to high officer burnout rates, and driving up overtime expenses.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

As a veteran assistant U.S. attorney, passed over for promotions repeatedly in his 24-year career, Keenan was still handling low-level cases typically reserved for first-year federal prosecutors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Network Rail said commuters can access the station via the low-level entrances on Argyle Street, and the Hope Street carriage driveway, which is normally used during special events.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

If they roamed the halls they might be mistaken, just, for some low-level commercial bankers at Wells Fargo, or flunkies at mortgage lenders, such as Option One: nine-to-fivers.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis