underling

English · Thesaurus

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underling

/ˈʌndəlɪŋ/ UK
/ˈʌndɚlɪŋ/ Canada, US
/ˈɐndəlɪŋ/ Australia

Where it comes from

From Middle English underling, from Old English underling. By surface analysis, under + -ling.

noun underlings

A subordinate, or person of lesser rank or authority. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.
A low, wretched person.

Similar: superior · Opposite: overling

Thesaurus

noun

Similar: superior · Opposite: overling

Translations

Every language

noun a subordinate, or person of lesser rank or authority

日本語	下っ端 shitappa
中文	下屬 /下属 xiàshǔ
Français	subordonné, sous-fifre
Deutsch	Untergebener, Untergebene, Untertan, Unterling
Русский	подчинённый podčinjónnyj, ме́лкая со́шка mélkaja sóška

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MLA

"underling." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/underling. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

underling. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/underling

Chicago

"underling." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/underling.

BibTeX

@misc{underling_2026,
  title = {underling},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/underling},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}