- 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.
Still, the director’s contributions for the most part supported the underlying emotional drama, which, in lesser musical and theatrical hands, can be flattened into an evening of empty display.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
A wary Tinseltown reluctantly lined up behind Netflix as the lesser of two evils, only to watch Paramount keep raising its bid until the streamer walked away in February.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
In a statement, her agent Phil Belfield said: "We will never see her like again and the world is lesser for the lack of her."
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Laura Parker, a lawyer for the center, said it can be hard for people to understand why a tiny lizard, or rare mussel species, or the lesser prairie chicken are worth preserving.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
So I kept reading about shark embryos that snack on their lesser sisters and eventually devour other siblings in the womb until the fittest shark remains and the mother gives birth to only one baby.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
