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less

/lɛs/

/lɛs/

IPA guide

Other forms: lesser

If something is less, there's not as much of it as there was before, or compared to something else. For example, your cranky uncle might complain that there's less common sense in the world than there used to be.

If you have less money than you did last month, there's not as much of it, and if you're less interested in horror movies than you used to be, your enthusiasm has decreased. Many people aren't sure when to use less and when fewer is correct. In general, fewer is for things you can count (like chocolate chips), and less is for things you can't count (like love or water or salad).

Definitions of less
  1. adjective
    (comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree
    “of less importance”
    less time to spend with the family”
    “a shower uses less water”
    less than three years old”
    synonyms:
    little, slight
    (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    more, more than
    (comparative of `much' used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
    much
    (quantifier used with mass nouns) great in quantity or degree or extent
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    (nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer
    less than three weeks”
    “no less than 50 people attended”
    “in 25 words or less
    synonyms:
    fewer
    (comparative of `few' used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of
  3. adjective
    (usually preceded by `no') lower in quality
    “no less than perfect”
    synonyms:
    inferior
    of low or inferior quality
  4. adverb
    used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
    less interesting”
    less expensive”
    less quickly”
    synonyms: to a lesser extent
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    more, to a greater extent
    used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
  5. adverb
    comparative of little
    “she walks less than she should”
    “he works less these days”
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    more
    comparative of much; to a greater degree or extent
Pronunciation
US

/lɛs/

UK

/lɛs/

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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘less'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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