as in subordinate
one who is of lower rank and typically under the authority of another
the real estate tycoon has a whole army of underlings to attend to the details
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of underling
Once a long-suffering underling to Streep’s Priestly, her fortunes have now dramatically reversed.
—
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Even Trump himself—with his garbled speech and incoherent ramblings—makes his underlings seem more credible by comparison.
—Sarah Longwell, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
This time playing an underling rather than a boss, Hoskins gave one of the best performances of his career in what remains a high point for Jordan as well, a lyrical and poignant yet savage film noir filled with regret, rage, and unrequited love.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026
This one regrettable fight between husband and wife has far-reaching implications for the community surrounding a ritzy LA country club, where Josh is the general manager and Ashley and Austin are his underlings.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for underling
Matt Donnelly, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Even Trump himself—with his garbled speech and incoherent ramblings—makes his underlings seem more credible by comparison.
—Sarah Longwell, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
This time playing an underling rather than a boss, Hoskins gave one of the best performances of his career in what remains a high point for Jordan as well, a lyrical and poignant yet savage film noir filled with regret, rage, and unrequited love.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026
This one regrettable fight between husband and wife has far-reaching implications for the community surrounding a ritzy LA country club, where Josh is the general manager and Ashley and Austin are his underlings.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for underling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underling
Noun
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In April 2025, Vaden allegedly received an anonymous letter at her home bearing the Elk Grove Police Department’s return address that discussed Davis’ relationship with the subordinate.—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
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In theory, a ceasefire would see the central government reassert more direct control of their subordinates, although concerns about assassinations might discourage them for rebuilding their electronic command and control systems, making that more difficult.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
23 June 2026
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Launched in early 1982, the original MOTU line-up saw He-Man and Skeletor joined by heroes Teela (at this point, the only female character), Man-at-Arms and Stratos; the morally ambiguous Zodac; and a couple of Skeletor's henchmen, Beast Man and Mer-Man.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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The world premiere on Sunday – in the presence of Illumination boss Chris Meledandri and director Pierre Coffin, who is also the origin of the minions’ unintelligible chatter – kicks off one of the biggest Annecy Film Festival’s yet.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
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The two key attractions include the Bello Bay Cruise river rapids ride where yellow minions face off against purple minions and the Bello Bay Golf Cart Derby teacups ride.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Underling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underling. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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