low-level
Americanadjective
-
undertaken by or composed of members having a low status.
a low-level discussion.
-
having low status.
low-level personnel.
-
undertaken at or from a low altitude.
low-level bombing.
-
Linguistics. occurring or operating at the phonetic level of linguistic representation or analysis.
low-level rules governing assimilation.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
The complaint also states that during the 2024 offseason, DeLorenzo was “forced” to take part in “a low-level college clinic, involving different rules, different mechanics, and different philosophies as compared to the NFL.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
