Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for underling. Search instead for Underlings.
Synonyms

underling

American  
[uhn-der-ling] / ˈʌn dər lɪŋ /

noun

  1. a subordinate, especially one of slight importance.

    Synonyms:
    hireling, lackey, flunky, menial
underling British  
/ ˈʌndəlɪŋ /

noun

  1. 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

Etymology

Origin of underling

1125–75; Middle English. See under-, -ling 1

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.

On Tuesday, he held a press conference to announce relatively minor news that could have been delivered by an underling: He intended to move U.S.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2025

What kind of terrible employer has an underling borrow against his own home to cover up his boss’s sordid lies and extra-marital affairs?

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2024

These genetic variants also appeared to be deleterious to protein function suggesting that disruption of lysosomal activity may be underling the development of Parkinson's disease combined with pesticide exposure.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2024

Deputies also seized from a Torres underling two roll call lists and several handwritten messages from his boss.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2024

It was usually Sherrie Chin-Watt or Cameron Jenkins who was with him, less often Janice or some underling like Eduardo or me.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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.