as in lesser
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wanting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of less
Bruce Broussard, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Just 261 factories—about one-third of those assessed—have a relationship that goes back less than three years.
—Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 29 Apr. 2026
Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
Get ready for a lot less facial hair on your television.
—Megan Friedman, Country Living, 17 Nov. 2016
See All Example Sentences for less
Adjective
An entrepreneur can launch and scale with far less infrastructure.
—Bruce Broussard, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Just 261 factories—about one-third of those assessed—have a relationship that goes back less than three years.
—Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 29 Apr. 2026
Preposition
Vance has since taken care to appear supportive of the president, if less so about the specifics of the war effort.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
Get ready for a lot less facial hair on your television.
—Megan Friedman, Country Living, 17 Nov. 2016
See All Example Sentences for less
Recent Examples of Synonyms for less
Adjective
-
Even lesser-scale incidents like the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal and the Volkswagen emissions scandal erode trust in the institutions that help make our society possible and push it forward.—
Lindsey Witmer Collins,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Toronto’s Fred VanVleet appears to be the top target, but Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have been linked to the team at various points.—
Staff Writer
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2023
Preposition
-
But perhaps most importantly, the plates ended up being a great way to fast-track the cleanup minus the hell of a putrid sink and a stack of filthy dishes in the blinding morning light.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
24 Apr. 2026
-
And a recession means growth of, say, minus a half a percent or minus a percent over a full year instead of positive a percent and a half.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And ultimately, the Supreme Court overruled those lower court rulings and did declare the embryos as children qualifying under the wrongful death statute.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2024
-
Lower gas demand amid increasing supply has led to lower pump prices.—
Frank Witsil,
Detroit Free Press,
19 June 2023
Preposition
-
At Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, face masks are required in public areas, except when dining or swimming, capacity of public areas will be limited, and housekeeping and public area attendants will increase their cleaning procedures.—
Elizabeth Rhodes,
Travel + Leisure,
4 June 2020
-
The city advised all residents to stay inside except those going to and from work and anyone seeking or giving emergency care, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti's official Twitter account.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
1 June 2020
Cite this Entry
“Less.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/less. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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