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

The analyst is betting on Quantum Computing’s Qatalyst software, which enables programmers to solve computational problems without knowing low-level quantum coding.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

The case was resolved as part of the Single Justice Procedure, where low-level crimes are dealt with behind closed doors.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

In places where retail theft was treated as a low-level concern, it didn’t stay contained.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

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

For the first time since Valentin Markov had established the tradition, they landed without their low-level victory pass over the airfield.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein