as in subordinates
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of underlings
France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival gets underway this weekend with Illumination’s Minions & Monsters, the latest movie devoted to the mischievous army of yellow underlings first introduced in 2010 breakout Despicable Me.
—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
But the occupant of the Oval Office doesn’t want his underlings engaging in self-promotion and vindictive lawsuits.
—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
And all the while underlings scrambled madly for a correct number.
—
Armando Salguero Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
24 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
Historically, film studios have been run by one monolithic figure, calling shots and running expansive teams of middle managers and underlings.
—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
16 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
That’s striking, considering that execs tend to be far more enthusiastic about the tech compared to their underlings.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
19 Feb. 2026
Despite the scary Instagram post, gang leader Lamar Williams was still convicted this month of a 2013 murder in the Bronx, and the two underlings accused of trying to keep him out of prison could wind up joining him.
—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
But the occupant of the Oval Office doesn’t want his underlings engaging in self-promotion and vindictive lawsuits.
—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
And all the while underlings scrambled madly for a correct number.
—
Armando Salguero Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
24 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
Historically, film studios have been run by one monolithic figure, calling shots and running expansive teams of middle managers and underlings.
—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
16 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
That’s striking, considering that execs tend to be far more enthusiastic about the tech compared to their underlings.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
19 Feb. 2026
Despite the scary Instagram post, gang leader Lamar Williams was still convicted this month of a 2013 murder in the Bronx, and the two underlings accused of trying to keep him out of prison could wind up joining him.
—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for underlings
Noun
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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.
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Another maintenance officer months later reported Brady to the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission for having subordinates perform work at his private residence.
Noun
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For example, a group of minions might be pretending to fight a group of Vikings on a movie set, or enough alien spaceships to fill the entire screen appear and shoot their lasers at once.
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And minions have taken over Wendy’s frosty machines with a new banana flavor.
Noun
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Now, Lilith must team up with Cinderella to fight biker trolls, outrun evil henchmen, and escape the Screaming Woods.
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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.
Cite this Entry
“Underlings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/underlings. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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