Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One of lesser rank or authority than another; a subordinate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who is subordinate to another, especially in some mean or servile capacity; hence, a mean, sorry fellow.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An inferior person or agent; a subordinate; a low-ranking employee.
  • noun A mean, sorry fellow.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A subordinate, or person of lesser rank or authority.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an assistant subject to the authority or control of another

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

under +‎ -ling

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Examples

  • In one scene, her new underling is caught snickering at the process of choosing a belt for a dress.

    Fashion and Quilting: Two Roads Linda 2008

  • In one scene, her new underling is caught snickering at the process of choosing a belt for a dress.

    Archive 2008-02-01 Linda 2008

  • A record-label underling is charged with making sure a down-and-out rock star makes it to his comeback anniversary concert in L.A. Backstory: Russell Brand reprises the loutish rocker character he played in the 2008 comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

    JSOnline.com 2010

  • Alfred Hyslop, as Mellinger, eye-pops and mugs for the camera, veering dangerously close to Carry On territory, while Paul Ravich, the actor playing Booth, Mellinger’s main underling, comes to resemble the spaced-out astro-hippies in John Carpenter’s Dark Star.

    Ballardian » Simon Brook's Minus One 2008

  • The establishment of a social system in which a section of the population is defined as the underling and another as the master is itself an act of violence - an act of violence which can only acquire permanence by the continuing use of violence.

    STATEMENT AT THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE, GENEVA, JUNE 19, 1986(1) 1986

  • The establishment of a social system in which a section of the population is defined as the underling and another as the master is itself an act of violence - an act of violence which can only acquire permanence by the continuing use of violence.

    OLIVER TAMBO 1980

  • The establishment of a social system in which a section of the population is defined as the underling and another as the master is itself an act of violence - an act of violence which can only acquire permanence by the continuing use of violence.

    OLIVER TAMBO AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID 1980

  • The establishment of a social system in which a section of the population is defined as the underling and another as the master is itself an act of violence - an act of violence which can only acquire permanence by the continuing use of violence.

    APARTHEID AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY 1980

  • The Andy Gray video that came out yesterday is clearcut bullying and harassment of an underling, which is a sackable offence.

    The Guardian World News 2011

  • Once Patty realized that Ellen had regrets, Patty knew that her underling was a loose cannon.

    unknown title 2009

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