underling
/'ʌndəliɳ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A subordinate; a person of lower rank or status who is under the authority or control of a superior. An underling is someone who holds a position with less power, responsibility, or importance and is required to follow orders.
Usage
- The word "underling" is typically used in contexts that emphasize hierarchy, authority, and sometimes a lack of autonomy. It can carry a neutral, descriptive tone but often has a slightly negative or dismissive connotation, implying the person is unimportant or merely an instrument of a more powerful figure.
- It is most commonly used in professional, organizational, or sometimes criminal contexts to describe junior employees, assistants, or followers.
Examples
- Noun:
- The CEO never dealt with complaints directly; she always sent an underling.
- He was tired of being treated as a mere underling and decided to start his own business.
- The crime boss ordered his underlings to carry out the plan.
Advanced Usage
- "to be/reduce someone to an underling": to place someone in or relegate them to a position of subservience.
- After the merger, the former manager was reduced to an underling in the new department.
- Used to highlight power dynamics, often critically.
- The policy was created by the executives and implemented without question by their underlings.
Variants and Related Words
- Subordinate (n): A more formal and neutral synonym for someone lower in rank.
- Minion (n): A synonym that is more pejorative, suggesting slavish devotion to a powerful person.
- Under- (prefix): A prefix meaning "beneath" or "lower," as in or .
Synonyms
- Subordinate
- Inferior
- Assistant
- Aide
- Follower
- Junior
Antonyms
- Superior
- Boss
- Chief
- Leader
- Head
Related Phrases/Idioms
- "Just an underling": A phrase used to dismiss one's own or someone else's importance or authority in a situation.
- Don't ask me about the decision; I'm just an underling here.
Noun
- an assistant subject to the authority or control of another