chief

chief

noun

Definition of CHIEF

1

the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts <the chief of the estate was left to the eldest son>

Synonyms brunt, bulk, chief, core, generality, heft [archaic], main, mass, staple, weight

Related Words majority; aggregate, amount, entirety, quantum, sum, sum total, total, totality, whole; bottom, essence, essentiality, marrow, meat, nature, pith, quintessence, root, soul, stuff, substance; center, heart, hub, kernel, middle, nucleus, nut, seat; affair, argument, burden, crux, focus, gist, nub, pitch, point, purport; matter, motif, subject, text, theme, topic

Near Antonyms accessory (also accessary), adjunct, appendage, extension, offshoot; component, constituent, element, ingredient; division, part, piece, section, segment; angle, aspect, facet, feature, quality, side

2

the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do <our chief is out on a business trip right now>

Synonyms boss man, captain, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, honcho, jefe, kingpin, leader, master, taskmaster

Related Words directress, mistress; administrator, commander, director, executive, general, governor, hierarch, higher-up; leadman, manager, overseer, principal, skipper, standard-bearer, steward, straw boss, superintendent, superior, supervisor; dominator, lord, overlord, potentate, ruler, sovereign (also sovran); figurehead; slave driver; baron, czar (also tsar or tzar), king, magnate, mogul, president, prince; big cheese, big gun, bigwig, top dog, top gun; cohead, coleader; employer, gaffer [British], ganger [British]; micromanager; subchief, subdirector

Near Antonyms dependent, inferior, junior, secondary, subject, subordinate, underling