What does "less" mean?
A smaller amount or quantity.
Usage Contextgeneralediting
Note: Use for uncountable amounts in formal writing.
Less
/lɛs/ adj, adv, conj, det, noun, prep, verb
adj, adv, conj, det, noun, prep, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A smaller amount or quantity.
- Grammar: less is listed as adj, adv, conj, det, noun, prep, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abated, ablated, at a disadvantage, at the nadir.
- Useful contrasts: additional datasets, extra, extra apples.
- Usage evidence: Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations at home.
How to use "less"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "less" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "less" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "less" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "less" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "less" is acting as adj, adv, conj, det, noun, prep, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abated" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "less", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A smaller amount or quantity. uncountable
"Less is better."
- 2 plural of LES form-of, plural
Verb
- 1 To make less; to lessen. archaic
"1386-90, Gower, Confessio Amantis What he will make lesse, he lesseth."
- 2 Alternative form of let's. alt-of, alternative
Adjective
- 1 Lesser; smaller. archaic, not-comparable
"Such too, to a greater or less extent, is the condition of the operatives of every denomination in England, which is the great workhouse of the world."
Adjective
- 1 (comparative of ‘little’ usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree wordnet
- 2 (nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer wordnet
- 3 (usually preceded by ‘no’) lower in quality wordnet
Adverb
- 1 comparative degree of little comparative, diminutive, form-of
"I slept even less last night than I did the night before."
- 2 Used for constructing syntactic diminutive comparatives of adjectives and adverbs. comparative, diminutive
"Randal is less welcome than Rachel but as her spouse we should invite them both."
- 3 To a smaller extent or degree. comparative, diminutive
"The grammar book was less than (that is, not at all) helpful."
Adverb
- 1 used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs, indicates that the adjective or adverb is less of something wordnet
- 2 comparative of little wordnet
Determiner
- 1 comparative form of little: more little; of inferior size, degree or extent; smaller, lesser. comparative, form-of
"Those Rattels are somewhat like the chape of a Rapier, but lesse, which they take from the taile of a snake."
- 2 A smaller amount of; not as much.
"No less than eight pints of beer."
- 3 Fewer; a smaller number of. nonstandard, proscribed
"There are less people here now."
Preposition
- 1 Minus; not including
"It should then tax all of that as personal income, less the proportion of the car's annual mileage demonstrably clocked up on company business."
Conjunction
- 1 unless dialectal, nonstandard
"To tell you true, 'tis too good for you, 'less you had grace to follow it"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations at home."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "less"?
Common synonyms include: abated, ablated, at a disadvantage, at the nadir, attenuated, barring.
How do you use "less" in a sentence?
Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations at home.
How do you pronounce "less"?
Pronounced /lɛs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣs (“smaller, less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisiz, from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to shrink, grow thin, be gentle”). Cognate with Old Frisian lēs (“less”), Old Saxon lēs (“less”). According to Kroonen (2013), from a northern Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-, which he connects to Lithuanian liesas (“lean”). Determiner and preposition from Middle English lees, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣssa (“less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisizan-, from Proto-Germanic *laisiz (“smaller, lesser, fewer, lower”) (see above). Cognate with Old Frisian lessa (“less”). Verb from Middle English lessen, from the determiner. Noun from Middle English lesse, from the determiner.
Etymology 2
From Middle English lesse, les, from Old English lǣs, as in þȳ lǣs þe.