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less

/lɛs/adjective, adverb1 syllable

Less means: (comparative of ‘little’ usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree.

Synonyms for less5

adjective, as in (comparative of ‘little’ usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree

adjective, as in (usually preceded by ‘no’) lower in quality

adjective, as in (nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer

adverb, as in used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs, indicates that the adjective or adverb is less of something

to a lesser extent

Opposites of less

What does less mean?5

adjective

1

(comparative of ‘little’ usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree“of less importance”

2

(usually preceded by ‘no’) lower in quality“no less than perfect”

3

(nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer“less than three weeks”

adverb

1

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs, indicates that the adjective or adverb is less of something“less interesting”

2

comparative of little“she walks less than she should”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with less?33

Show 40 near rhymes

All 33 rhymes for less, grouped by syllable

Less in a sentence

  • The more you read the book, the less you will understand it.Luornu
  • When dreams begin, breathing becomes irregular and less deep.superbolo
  • The less men think, the more they talk.unknown
  • The more she thought about it, the less she liked it.CK
  • It sounds strange, but it is true none the less.CK
  • The older we grow, the less we dream.CM
  • I can't afford to buy a used car, much less a new one.CK
  • I cannot even boil water, much less roast a turkey.CM

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of less

as a adjective

superlative
least