Nonleaders

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who do not take on leadership roles or responsibilities within a context or organization
2. Persons who refrain from assuming positions of authority or influence in a social or professional setting
3. Individuals who lack the initiative or capability to lead others, often working in subordinate capacities within a group

Etymology: "Lead" began as a verb meaning "to cause to go." The Old English "lǣdan" was a causative form of "līthan," "to go," so leading someone was literally making them travel. The "-er" in "leader" is an agent suffix that turns a verb into a noun for the person doing the action, so a leader is one who causes others to go. The prefix "non-" comes from Latin "non," meaning "not." English has long attached it freely to nouns to mean the absence of the named quality, so the compound is a transparent formation. Its meaning follows directly from its parts: people who do not lead.

Synonyms: followers, subordinates, supporters, assistants, underlings

Antonyms: leaders, chiefs, directors, commanders, captains