underlings
Those beneath you
Underlings are people in subordinate positions, especially those with little power or status.
The word carries a dismissive or contemptuous tone—you wouldn't call your own team underlings unless joking, but you might call someone else's staff that: He sent one of his underlings to handle it.
The term implies a hierarchy where those below matter less.
Those of lower rank
- juniorsLower-ranked members
- deputiesAppointed subordinate representatives
- assistantsPeople who provide support
- aidesSubordinate staff members
staff · employees · workers · personnel · team · crew · apprentices · interns
Obedient subordinates of power
- lackeysServile attendants
- flunkiesSubservient assistants or followers
- peonsMenial laborers with little status
- henchmenLoyal subordinates to wrongdoers
stooges · pawns · sycophants · toadies · yes-men · bootlickers · servants · attendants
Feudal bound laborers
- vassalsFeudal subordinates owing service
- peasantsLow-ranking agricultural workers
- subjugatedBrought under control
- downtroddenPersistently mistreated and degraded
exploited · oppressed · commoners · plebeians · proletariat · underprivileged · disadvantaged · bonded
Adhering to requirements
- submissionYielding to another's will
- deferenceYielding to another's judgment
- subservienceExcessive willingness to obey
- docilityReadiness to submit
servility · loyalty · allegiance · fealty · duty · meekness · acquiescence · obsequiousness
inferiors
Those of lower rank
- juniorsLower-ranked members
- deputiesAppointed subordinate representatives
- assistantsPeople who provide support
aides · staff · employees · workers · personnel · team · crew · apprentices · interns · proteges
minions
Obedient subordinates of power
- lackeysServile attendants
- flunkiesSubservient assistants or followers
- peonsMenial laborers with little status
henchmen · stooges · pawns · sycophants · toadies · yes-men · bootlickers · servants · attendants · footmen
serfs
Feudal bound laborers
- vassalsFeudal subordinates owing service
- peasantsLow-ranking agricultural workers
- subjugatedBrought under control
downtrodden · exploited · oppressed · commoners · plebeians · proletariat · underprivileged · disadvantaged · bonded · indentured
compliance
Adhering to requirements
- submissionYielding to another's will
- deferenceYielding to another's judgment
- subservienceExcessive willingness to obey
docility · servility · loyalty · allegiance · fealty · duty · meekness · acquiescence · obsequiousness · kowtowing
underlingssuperiors
Those of higher rank
bosses · masters · overlords · leaders · commanders
underlingsrulers
Measuring straightedges; sovereigns
decision-makers · authorities · power brokers · shot-callers · taskmasters