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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

less than

That was dealt a blow by a Financial Times report saying OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, expected to make $50 billion in annualised revenue this year, far less than the $70 billion flagged previously.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Commodity prices have risen about 20 percent this year, far less than fuel and fertilizer costs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Not everything you’ll get rid of can be rehomed easily — or even at all — and sale prices may be far less than what you paid.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

A BBC Eye undercover investigation revealed he was secretly released on parole in August 2025, after serving less than half his sentence.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

But there was nothing in the world he wanted to do less than come down.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell