less than

Idioms  

1. Not at all or hardly at all. For example, He had a less than favorable view of the matter, or She had a less than adequate grasp of the subject. This expression uses less in the sense of “a smaller quantity, number, or extent than is implied,” a usage dating from about a.d. 1000. The same sense appears in less than no time, a hyperbolic term for a very short time (as in Don't worry, he'll be here in less than no time) that dates from about 1800.

---

Example Sentences

Households making less than half the country’s median income would have to pay nearly two-thirds of their income to afford a new home in the first quarter, the index showed.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

Even if the group is activated immediately, it will have less than six months to do what it has historically done across a full election year.

From Salon • May 21, 2026

Its balance sheet is clean, with less than 1 times net debt to Ebitda.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

The lower end of the consensus range, which sits at less than 100 million pounds, looks safer than the midpoint and upper end, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Owen stood and watched, incredulous, as the entire pond drained away in less than five minutes.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz