- comparative of little.
lesser
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of lesser
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English lasser, lesser; see less, -er 4
Compare meaning
How does lesser compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the adjective lesser to describe something that's smaller than or inferior to something else. A lesser singer might sound fine in the context of a large chorus, but a solo performance could be tricky. A young car thief might be charged with a lesser crime because of his age — trespassing instead of larceny, for example. He's also likely to end up with a lesser punishment in that case. Sometimes people talk about "the lesser of two evils," by which they mean the less bad of two bad choices, or describe something as "lesser-known," like a rarely studied poet or an unacknowledged scientist.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the other hand, net commodity exporters such as Malaysia, and to a lesser extent, Indonesia, could see some offset on its currencies against the oil shock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
"Large objects such as stars curve spacetime strongly -- for example, we can observe this when light rays are deflected by massive stars. But smaller masses also produce spacetime curvature, just to a lesser extent."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
The jury could find Clancy guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of lesser charges, or not guilty.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Polling shows a majority of people hold unfavourable views of her and, to a lesser extent, Harry.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
A lesser detective would have moved on to a case that made more sense.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
