underling

[uhn-der-ling]

See more synonyms for underling on Thesaurus.com

noun

a subordinate, especially one of slight importance.

Origin of underling

1125–75; Middle English. See under-, -ling¹

Synonyms for underling

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menial, flunky, lackey, hireling.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for underling

attendant, gofer, slave, helper, deputy, servant, assistant, lackey, aide, serf, minion, second, flunky, peon, scrub, inferior

Examples from the Web for underling

Contemporary Examples of underling

As Stanley was absorbing this information, in walked Whitey, with his underling Kevin Weeks.
Whitey Bulger’s Women: Inside the Terror and Glamour of His Ex-Girlfriends
T.J. English
June 11, 2012

Historical Examples of underling

He is an underling: I have nothing to do with him; I will speak with his master.
Essays, Second Series
Ralph Waldo Emerson
It was the mistake of some underling, turning me down, after Austin's death.
The Forbidden Trail
Honor Willsie
Sira Nal's checks paled slightly with rage as he stared at his underling.
The Players
Everett B. Cole
For a long minute, Morton stared on at his underling whom he had betrayed.
Making People Happy
Thompson Buchanan
Clever he was certainly and no underling, as they had gathered from de Lestis.
The Carter Girls' Mysterious Neighbors
Nell Speed

British Dictionary definitions for underling

underling

noun

a subordinate or lackey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for underling

late 12c., from under + diminutive suffix -ling.