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 image also appears to show low-level circulation along the eastern side of the eye.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 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

Exposure to both short-term high concentration and long-term low-level concentrations can be dangerous or fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Another Reagan appointee, Judge Stanley Marshall, told a reporter, “I’ve always been considered a fairly harsh sentencer, but it’s killing me that I’m sending so many low-level offenders away for all this time.”

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander