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.
Consider a survey of about 100 contractors from UBS analyst Michael Lesser.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
A pair of tiny sun-baked islands called Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb are Iran’s eyes on the channel, and of course have boasted military fortifications.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Ian Lesser believes Donald Trump's focus on Greenland, rather than Alaska, suggests more of an interest in economic security, rather than security in the traditional sense.
From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026
Lesser biographies pick sides; Mangold trusts us to find our own path through the mire, while noting the particular risk of being a wunderkind hoisted up into a deity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2025
An island of the archipelago in the South Atlantic between North and South America, enclosing the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico: divided into the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahama Islands.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
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.
