less

¹ American  

[les] / lɛs /

adverb

1. to a smaller extent, amount, or degree.

   less exact.

2. most certainly not (often preceded by much orstill ).

   He could barely pay for his own lodging, much less for that of his friend.

3. in any way different; other.

   He is nothing less than a thief.

---

adjective

1. smaller in size, amount, degree, etc.; not so large, great, or much.

   less money; less speed.

2. lower in consideration, rank, or importance.

   no less a person than the manager.

3. fewer.

   less than a dozen.

noun

1. a smaller amount or quantity.

   Hundreds of soldiers arrived, but less of them remained.

2. something inferior or not as important.

   He was tortured for less.

preposition

1. minus; without.

   a year less two days; six dollars less tax.

idioms

1. less than,  by far short of being; not in the least; hardly at all.

   The job is less than perfect.

-less ² American  

1. an adjective suffix meaning “without” (childless; peerless ), and in adjectives derived from verbs, indicating failure or inability to perform or be performed (resistless; tireless ).

---

less ¹ British  

/ lɛs /

determiner

1. 1. the comparative of little

      less sugar

      less spirit than before

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )

      she has less than she needs

      the less you eat, the less you want

2. (usually preceded by no) lower in rank or importance

   no less a man than the president

   St James the Less

3. informal  used to indicate surprise or admiration, often sarcastic, at the preceding statement

   she says she's been to Italy, no less

4. to a smaller extent or degree

   we see less of John these days

   less of a success than I'd hoped

---

adverb

1. the comparative of little (sense 1)

   she walks less than she should

   less quickly

   less beautiful

2. used to reinforce a negative

   we don't like it, still less enjoy it

3. to have a lower opinion of

preposition

1. subtracting; minus

   three weeks less a day

-less ² British  

suffix

1. without; lacking

   speechless

2. not able to (do something) or not able to be (done, performed, etc)

   countless

---

less More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing less

• couldn't care less
• in (less than) no time
• more or less
• much less

---

Usage

What is a basic definition of less?

Less refers to a comparatively smaller amount, quantity, or degree and can be used in this sense as an adverb, adjective, or noun. Less has several other senses as an adverb, adjective, noun, and a preposition.

Less is a comparative form of the word little, with the word least being the superlative. If something is described as less, it is “more little” than something else. Specifically, less by itself often means a smaller number or amount rather than physical size.

Less can be used in this sense as an adverb, adjective, or a noun. Because less is a comparative, it must be used to compare two or more things to make sense. For example, “This house is less” makes no sense by itself. You might wonder. “Less what?” When we include the item we are comparing the house to, you can understand what we mean: That house is really expensive, but this house costs less. 

• Real-life examples: Used cars often cost less than new ones. You will earn less money in your first job than in your last job. You might start out with a lot of questions, but as you learn you may have less.
• Used in a sentence: I really need to start eating less.
  We want to make sure nobody gets less food than anyone else.
  When it comes to using pink paint, less is more. 

The word less is often confused with the word fewer. For the most part, you can use the words less and fewer as synonyms when comparing amounts of things.

However, less can compare abstract, uncountable qualities, while fewer cannot. For example, one dog can be said to be less playful than another, but it cannot be said to be “fewer playful” than another.

What does -less mean? The suffix -less means “without.” It is also used occasionally to denote a failure or inability to perform. It is often used in a variety of everyday and technical terms.The suffix -less ultimately comes from Old English lēas, meaning “free from, without” or “false.”

Commonly Confused

Even though less has been used before plural nouns ( less words; less men ) since the time of King Alfred, many modern usage guides say that only fewer can be used in such contexts. Less, they say, should modify singular mass nouns ( less sugar; less money ) and singular abstract nouns ( less honesty; less love ). It should modify plural nouns only when they suggest combination into a unit, group, or aggregation: less than $50 (a sum of money); less than three miles (a unit of distance). With plural nouns specifying individuals or readily distinguishable units, the guides say that fewer is the only proper choice: fewer words; fewer men; no fewer than 31 of the 50 states. Modern standard English practice does not reflect this distinction. When followed by than, less occurs at least as often as fewer in modifying plural nouns that are not units or groups, and the use of less in this construction is increasing in all varieties of English: less than eight million people; no less than 31 of the 50 states. When not followed by than, fewer is more frequent only in formal written English, and in this construction also the use of less is increasing: This year we have had less crimes, less accidents, and less fires than in any of the last five years.

Related Words

See small.

Etymology

Origin of less¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English lǣs (adverb), lǣssa (adjective); cognate with Old Frisian lês (adverb), lêssa (adjective); least

Origin of -less²

Middle English -les, Old English -lēas, special use of lēas free from, without, false; cognate with Old Norse lauss, German los, loose

Example Sentences

The companies cited uncompetitive drug-pricing controls that mean Britain spends far less on medicines than its peers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their opponents, meanwhile, sustained less than 500 casualties in all.

From The Wall Street Journal

My suspicion is that your issues with this boy have less to do with his debt and are more linked to what you think it says about his character.

From MarketWatch

But on the credit front Morgan Stanley’s Lindsay Tyler was less encouraged in a note last week that focused on Oracle’s debt.

From MarketWatch

They set the enforcement date for after the holiday season to ensure that families, who travel less often, learn about the change.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fewer