fewer

[ fyoo-er ]

/ ˈfyu ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fewer ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of a smaller number: fewer words and more action.

pronoun

(used with a plural verb) a smaller number: Fewer have come than we hoped.

Nearby words

feverwort, few, few and far between, few bricks shy of a load, few words, fewer, fewness, fey, feydeau, feynman, feynman diagram

Origin of fewer

Middle English fewere, Old English *fēawran. See few, -er⁴

Can be confusedfewer less (see usage note at less)

Usage note

See less.

Definition for fewer (2 of 2)

few

[ fyoo ]

/ fyu /

adjective, few·er, few·est.

not many but more than one: Few artists live luxuriously.

noun

(used with a plural verb) a small number or amount: Send me a few.

the few, a special, limited number; the minority: That music appeals to the few.

pronoun

(used with a plural verb) a small number of persons or things: A dozen people volunteered, but few have shown up.

Origin of few

before 900; Middle English fewe, Old English fēawe; cognate with Gothic fawai; akin to Latin paucus few, paulus little, pauper poor, Greek paûros little, few

Related formso·ver·few, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fewer

This was nine fewer than what he needed just two years ago when 426 members of the House voted.
Democrats Accidentally Save Boehner From Republican Coup|Ben Jacobs, Jackie Kucinich|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That means that fewer and fewer everyday Americans are choosing to contribute to campaigns.
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The more resources and education society becomes equipped with, the fewer stories like yours will surface.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Fewer women are shackled during labor and delivery (PDF), though this still occurs.
The GOP’s Hidden Ban on Prison Abortions|Harold Pollack|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The demonstrations have been largely peaceful, with fewer arrests and clashes with police than in other cities.
Eric Garner Protesters Have a Direct Line to City Hall|Jacob Siegel|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I could have done with fewer deeds of unnecessary kindness and more words of unguarded intimacy.
Witching Hill|E. W. Hornung
Heaven knows, there are fellows who have more vices than scabs, and scabs countless, with fewer ideas than plaisters.
Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Vol. I (of 2)|Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The fewer the emotional storms the less likelihood of repetitions of attacks of epilepsy.
Psychotherapy|James J. Walsh
Very few learn the prescribed form of Moslem prayers and fewer still use them.
Our Moslem Sisters|Annie Van Sommer
To the more you shall give a larger part, and to the fewer a lesser.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for fewer

few

/ (fjuː) /

determiner

a small number of; hardly anyfew men are so cruel
(as pronoun; functioning as plural)many are called but few are chosen

(preceded by a)

a small number ofa few drinks
(as pronoun; functioning as plural)a few of you

a good few informal several

few and far between

at great intervals; widely spaced
not abundant; scarce

have a few or have a few too many to consume several (or too many) alcoholic drinks

not a few or quite a few informal several

noun

the few a small number of people considered as a classthe few who fell at Thermopylae Compare many (def. 4)

Derived Formsfewness, noun

Word Origin for few

Old English fēawa; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silent

xref

See less

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fewer

few

adj.

Old English feawe (plural; contracted to fea) "few, seldom, even a little," from Proto-Germanic *faw-, from PIE root *pau- (1) "few, little" (cf. Latin paucus "few, little," paullus "little," parvus "little, small," pauper "poor;" Greek pauros "few, little," pais (genitive paidos) "child;" Latin puer "child, boy," pullus "young animal;" Oscan puklu "child;" Sanskrit potah "a young animal," putrah "son;" Old English fola "young horse;" Old Norse fylja "young female horse;" Old Church Slavonic puta "bird;" Lithuanian putytis "young animal, young bird"). Always plural in Old English.

Phrase few and far between attested from 1660s. Unusual ironic use in quite a few "many" (1883), earlier a good few (1828). The noun is late 12c., fewe, from the adjective.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. [Winston Churchill, 1940]

Idioms and Phrases with fewer

few

In addition to the idioms beginning with few

few and far between
few bricks shy of a load
few words

also see:

a few
bricks shy of a load, (a few)
of few words
precious few
quite a bit (few)

fewer

adjective

pronoun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of fewer

Usage note

Definition for fewer (2 of 2)

few

adjective, few·er, few·est.

noun

pronoun

Origin of few

Examples from the Web for fewer

British Dictionary definitions for fewer

few

determiner

noun

Word Origin for few

xref

Word Origin and History for fewer

few

Idioms and Phrases with fewer

few