Less — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb noun preposition /ˈles/

Meaning & Definition of Less

Less (adjective)

  1. constituting a more limited number or amount
  2. of lower rank, degree, or importance
  3. of reduced size, extent, or degree

Less (adverb)

  1. to a lesser extent or degree

Less (noun)

  1. a smaller portion or quantity
  2. something of less importance

Less (preposition)

  1. diminished by, minus

Less (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having not so great importance or rank as another

    "the restaurant's chowder has been declared the state's best by no less a person than the governor himself"

    similar: inferior, junior, lesser, lower, minor, smaller, subordinate
    related: little, mean, small, minute, petty, jerkwater, one-horse, second-class, second-rate, two-bit, associate, auxiliary, secondary, subsidiary
    opposite: greater, higher, major, more, primary, prime, senior, superior, superordinate
    near: choice, exceptional, first-class, first-rate

Less (preposition) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in minus, wanting

    similar: minus, wanting, except
    opposite: as well as, beside, besides, beyond, over and above, plus, including

Related Entry: Little (adjective)

Little is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for little, not for less.

  1. having relatively little height

    "there was a little hedge separating the two lawns"

    similar: low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off, short
    related: dwarf, dwarfish, compact, petite, slight, diminutive, half-pint, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, pygmy, small, smallish, bantam, bitty, dinky, mini, miniature, minimized, minute, puny, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, undersized, wee, dumpy, flat, scrubby, squat, squatty, stubby, stumpy, stunted
    opposite: altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering
    near: elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept, high-rise, statuesque, gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy, big, bulky, hefty, hulking, large, largish, outsize, oversize, sizable, voluminous

  2. lacking importance

    "there were just a few little details left to take care of"

    similar: fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, Mickey Mouse, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, slight, small, small-fry, trifling, trivial, unimportant, neither here nor there
    related: jerkwater, one-horse, nickel-and-dime, paltry, petty, small-time, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown
    opposite: big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, unfrivolous, weighty
    near: decisive, fatal, fateful, chief, dominant, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, principal, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important, basic, essential, fundamental, key

  3. not broad or open in views or opinions

    "little-minded people who dislike the fact that human society is always progressing"

    similar: illiberal, insular, Lilliputian, narrow, narrow-minded, parochial, petty, picayune, provincial, sectarian, small, small-minded
    related: inflexible, ironbound, obdurate, obstinate, rigid, set, stubborn, unyielding, wrongheaded, bigoted, intolerant, biased, discriminating, discriminatory, jaundiced, one-sided, partial, partisan, prejudiced, brassbound, hidebound, old-fashioned, reactionary, stodgy, straitlaced, stuffy, dogmatic, opinionated, opinionative, limited, hick, unsophisticated
    opposite: broad-minded, catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal, open, open-minded, receptive, tolerant
    near: impartial, nonpartisan, objective, unbiased, unprejudiced, freethinking

  4. not lasting for a considerable time

    "let's take a little pause to relax"

    similar: brief, fast, short
    related: shortish, abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, cut-back, shortened, syncopated, compact, condensed, abrupt, sudden, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, short-lived, transient, transitory, impermanent, compendious, concise, crisp, epigrammatic, laconic, pithy, succinct, summary, terse, short-range, short-term
    opposite: extended, far, great, lengthy, long, long-drawn-out, long-lived
    near: endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, unending, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, long-range, long-term

  5. of a size that is less than average

    "the petting zoo has a little horse in addition to all of the goats and sheep"

    similar: bantam, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, fine, half-pint, Lilliputian, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, puny, pygmy, shrimpy, slight, small, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized
    related: dwarf, toy, runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted, bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic, mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny, meager, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, bite-size, capsule
    opposite: big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping
    near: bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous, boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast, abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, fat, thick, broad, wide, boundless, cosmic, immeasurable, incalculable, infinite, adequate, enough, sufficient

Related Entry: Little (adverb)

Little is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for little, not for less.

  1. in a very small quantity or degree

    "we had little more than we needed to survive in the wilderness"

    similar: negligibly, nominally, slightly, a bit, a trifle
    related: meagerly, scantily, barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely
    opposite: awful, awfully, beastly, considerably, deadly, especially, exceedingly, extensively, extra, extremely, far, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, jolly, mightily, mighty, mortally, most, much, particularly, rattling, real, right, significantly, so, something, substantially, super, terribly, too, very, whacking
    near: completely, entirely, purely, thoroughly, totally, utterly, eminently, exceptionally, appreciably, discernibly, noticeably, palpably, abundantly, plentifully, generously, handsomely, liberally, astronomically, grandly, hugely, monstrously, monumentally

  2. not often

    "he's been studying very little for the bar exam"

    similar: infrequently, rarely, seldom, once in a blue moon
    related: ne'er, never, episodically, irregularly, now and then, occasionally, sometimes, sporadically
    opposite: frequently, oft, often, oftentimes
    near: customarily, generally, habitually, ordinarily, routinely, usually, always, constantly, continually, continuously, endlessly, eternally, ever, everlastingly, evermore, forever, invariably, perennially, perpetually, unceasingly, chronically, recurrently, repeatedly

Related Entry: More or less (adverb)

More or less is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for more or less, not for less.

  1. very close to but not completely

    "the lot is 16 acres more or less"

    similar: about, all but, almost, borderline, fair (chiefly British), fairly, feckly (chiefly Scottish), most, much, near, nearly, next to, nigh, practically, somewhere, virtually, well-nigh, as good as, just about, pretty much, within an inch of
    related: appreciably, by and large, chiefly, largely, mainly, mostly, kind of, partially, partly, somewhat
    near: absolutely, altogether, completely, entirely, fully, plain, plumb (chiefly dialect), quite, thoroughly, totally, utterly, well, wholly, barely, hardly, scarcely

  2. to some degree or extent

    "most couples in the survey said that they were more or less happy in their marriage"

    similar: enough, fairly, kind of, kindly (chiefly Southern), like, moderately, pretty, quite, rather, relatively, something, somewhat, sort of, a bit, after a sort, a little, a mite, a tad, a touch, of sorts, to a degree
    related: acceptably, decently, passably, tolerably, little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, vaguely, half, halfway, incompletely, part, partially, partly, partway
    near: awfully, beastly, deadly, especially, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, frightfully, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, mightily, mortally, particularly, surpassingly, terribly, very, considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially

  3. close to but not exactly

    "the box weighs 60 pounds more or less"

    similar: about, approximately, around, like, much, near, plus or minus, roughly, say, some, after a fashion, somewhere about, somewhere around
    related: generally, kind of, loosely, nearly, nominally, practically, virtually, well-nigh
    opposite: exactly, precisely
    near: due, even, just, sharp, smack-dab, squarely

Related Entry: Much less (conjunction)

Much less is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for much less, not for less.

  1. to say nothing of

    "after spraining his ankle, the gymnast hadn't been expected to appear in today's event, much less win it"

    similar: let alone, never mind, still less, not to mention

Related Entry: Still less (conjunction)

Still less is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for still less, not for less.

  1. to say nothing of

    "I never suggested that he was incompetent, still less that he was dishonest"

    similar: let alone, much less, never mind, not to mention

Related Entry: Will-less (adjective)

Will-less is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for will-less, not for less.

  1. not made or done willingly or by choice

    "her involvement in the after-school program was will-less—her parents made her go"

    similar: coerced, forced, involuntary, unintended, unintentional, unwilling
    related: accidental, unplanned, unpremeditated, automatic, impulsive, instinctive, spontaneous, unprompted, inadvertent, unconscious, unknowing, unwitting
    opposite: deliberate, freewill, intentional, uncoerced, unforced, voluntary, willful, willing
    near: advised, conscious, considered, knowing, planned, premeditated, premeditative, prepense, purposeful, volitional, self-imposed, self-inflicted

Related Entry: Care (verb)

Care is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for care, not for less.

  1. to have an interest or concern for

    "a teacher who cares what happens to her students long after they leave her classroom"

    similar: look out (for), mind, watch
    related: attend, heed, regard, note, notice, observe, empathize (with), feel (for), sympathize (with)
    near: disregard, ignore, overlook

Related Entry: Care (for) (verb)

Care (for) is a different word from Less. The synonyms below are for care (for), not for less.

  1. to take charge of especially on behalf of another

    "will you care for the lawn while we're gone?"

    similar: attend, mind, oversee, superintend, supervise, tend, watch, look after, see after, see to, take care of
    related: administrate, conduct, control, direct, govern, guide, manage, operate, preside (over), regulate, run, steward, guard, patrol, protect, safeguard, shield, baby, babysit, chaperone, mother, shepherd
    near: abandon, disregard, forget, ignore, neglect, pass over

  2. to attend to the needs and comforts of

    "he is caring for his mother while she's sick"

    similar: administer (to), minister (to), mother, nurse, do for (chiefly British), look after, look out for, look to, see to, take care of, wait on
    related: cure, heal, remedy, doctor, treat, aid, conserve, preserve, provide (for), support, baby, coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil, cater (to), humor, indulge
    near: brush (aside or off), forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, slight

  3. to have a favorable opinion of

    "I don't really care for what you're doing with that dog"

    similar: accept, approve (of), countenance, favor, OK, subscribe (to), go for, hold with, take kindly to
    related: acclaim, applaud, laud, praise, salute, back (up), concur (in), stand by, support, sustain, uphold, bear, endure, tolerate, assent (to), consent (to), commend, recommend, enjoy, like
    opposite: disapprove (of), discountenance, disfavor, frown (on or upon)
    near: blacklist, censure, condemn, criticize, damn, denounce, deprecate, depreciate, disparage, reprehend, reprobate, dislike, mind, detest, hate, loathe, dissent (from), object (to), oppose

  4. to wish to have

    "I don't particularly care for rice cereal, but I'll eat it"

    similar: like, want, feel like
    related: adore, delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), love, relish, revel (in), welcome, covet, crave, desire, die (for), hanker (for or after), wish (for), yearn (for)

  5. to show partiality toward

    "she generally doesn't care for war movies"

    similar: favor, lean (toward or towards), like, prefer, be partial to, go in for
    related: adore, cotton (to), delight (in), dig, enjoy, fancy, groove (on), relish, revel (in), choose, cull, handpick, name, pick, select, single (out), take, covet, crave, desire, hanker (for or after), want, wish (for), bias, prejudice, incline (toward), tend (to), admire, appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value
    near: disfavor, dislike, mislike, abhor, abominate, detest, hate, loathe, decline, refuse, reject, turn down, discard, jettison, throw away, throw out

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Less

The most common words with a similar meaning to Less:

inferior, junior, lesser, lower, minor, smaller, subordinate, minus, wanting, except

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Less

Words with the opposite meaning of Less:

greater, higher, major, more, primary, prime, senior, superior, superordinate, as well as, beside, besides, beyond, over and above, plus, including

Related Words for Less

little, mean, small, minute, petty, jerkwater, one-horse, second-class, second-rate, two-bit, associate, auxiliary, secondary, subsidiary

Near Antonyms of Less

choice, exceptional, first-class, first-rate

Origin & Etymology of Less

Middle English, partly from Old English lǣs, adverb & noun; partly from lǣssa, adjective; akin to Old Frisian lēs less

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Less

Words & Phrases Containing Less

-less, less and less, less than, less than thrilled

Frequently Asked Questions about Less

What does "Less" mean?

"Less" means constituting a more limited number or amount. As an an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a preposition, it is defined as: constituting a more limited number or amount. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Less"?

Other words for "Less" include inferior, junior, lesser, lower, minor, smaller, subordinate and minus. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Less" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Less"?

There are 24 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Less". Common alternatives include inferior, junior, lesser, lower, minor, smaller, subordinate, minus, wanting and except.

What is the opposite of "Less"?

Antonyms of "Less" include greater, higher, major, more, primary, prime, senior and superior. Near antonyms include choice, exceptional, first-class and first-rate.

How do you use "Less" in a sentence?

Examples of "Less" in a sentence: "the restaurant's chowder has been declared the state's best by no less a person than the governor himself".

Is "Less" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Less" can be used as an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a preposition, depending on the context.

Is "Less" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Less" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Less"?

"Less" is pronounced /ˈles/.