much less

Idioms  

1. And certainly not, as in He rarely talks about his outside activities, much less his family. The earliest record of this idiom is in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1671): “The world thou hast not seen, much less her glory.”

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Example Sentences

And the dynamic market performance gives these businesses much less incentive to change their moneymaking plans.

From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026

Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

They better hope that the kids skip the assigned reading, much less actual discussion and debate about it in class.

From Salon • Jul. 1, 2026

Prior to the 2000s, when the Fed communicated much less about the potential path of rates, investors resorted to extreme measures such as assessing the size of Alan Greenspan’s briefcase when he entered meetings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

Neither the owner of the property nor anyone else need be charged with a crime, much less found guilty of one.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander