less

LES/lɛs/

Often confused with fewer

9 meanings of less

1
not as much ofdeterminer
A smaller amount of something; not as much ('less sugar'; 'less than ten miles').
Engineers used less concrete in the revised foundation.
There was less enthusiasm for the plan after the budget cuts.
UsageUse less with things you cannot count (less water); before plural nouns, careful writing uses fewer (fewer cars), but amounts like less than ten miles keep less.
2
adverbdiminutive
To a smaller extent or degree; not so much, often before an adjective or adverb to form its comparative ('less expensive'; 'she worries less now').
The new medication makes him drowsy, though noticeably less than the old one.
Voters seemed less interested in the campaign this year.
UsageCompare with than: less interested than before. With short adjectives, not as big as usually sounds more natural than less big.
Oppositemore (entry)
3
noununcountable
An amount or quantity smaller than another.
The architects proved that a comfortable home could be built with less.
After the cutbacks, the department was expected to deliver more with less.
UsageCommon in set pairs: more with less, settle for less, make do with less.
Oppositemore (entry)
4
fewerdeterminernonstandard
A smaller number of; fewer.
Less than a dozen volunteers turned up despite the weather.
The store stocked less varieties of bread after the supplier changed.
UsageIn careful writing, use fewer before plural nouns: fewer complaints (not ~~incorrect: less complaints~~).
Similarfewer
Oppositemore (entry)
Note
Usage guides prefer fewer before plural nouns, but this use of less is old. John Lyly writes of universities with 'lesse faultes' in 1579, and John Houghton warns of 'less corn, and less people' in the late 1600s.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The use of less meaning fewer is old. en.wiktionary.org
John Lyly used 'lesse faultes' when comparing universities, in a passage dated 1579. en.wiktionary.org
John Houghton's work contains the quotation 'less corn, and less people'. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

5
minuspreposition
Minus; not including the stated amount.
The settlement totaled forty thousand dollars, less legal fees.
The bill came to four hundred dollars, less the ten percent discount for members.
UsageMostly used with money and totals: the price less tax, forty thousand dollars less fees.
Similarminus, excluding, without
Oppositeplus, including
6
adjectivearchaic
Smaller; lesser in size or importance.
This he said, thinking that Alan would be pleased; but the Highlandman’s vanity was ready to startle at a less matter than that.
1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped
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.
1854, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Economy”
UsageBefore a noun, smaller or lesser is usually more natural: a smaller hall, a lesser matter.
Note
Set against greater, this adjective was still current in the nineteenth century. Thoreau writes 'to a greater or less extent' in Walden (1854), where modern English usually says lesser. Stevenson's Kidnapped (1886) has 'a less matter', meaning a smaller one.
7
reduceverbarchaic
To make less; to reduce or lessen.
Soon as I lessed the tree of this, it waned — Less cause, gave less effect
1852, Charles Heavysege, The revolt of Tartarus
The scattered beauties thro' the air, Have lessed the woe, the dread, the care;
1886, Horace Eaton Walker, The Lady of Dardale and Other Poems
Note
A verb that ran from Gower's 'what he wol make lasse, he lasseth' in the late 1300s into the nineteenth century. An 1816 obituary praises a man whose illness had not 'lessed' his affections, and Charles Heavysege still uses it in verse in 1852.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
The text of Confessio Amantis, Book VII, line 1840, reads 'What he wol make lasse, he lasseth'. gutenberg.org
Gower's use dates to the late 1300s. en.wikipedia.org
The verb remained in use into the nineteenth century, including an 1816 obituary. archive.org
The obituary praises a man whose illness had not 'lessed' his affections. archive.org
Charles Heavysege uses the verb in verse. en.wiktionary.org
Heavysege's poem was first published in 1852. en.wikipedia.org
8
unlessconjunctiondialectal
Unless; used to introduce a condition that must be met.
We'll lose the crop less the rain comes soon.
He said he wouldn't sign less they raised the pay.
Similarunless
Note
A clipped unless, often written with an apostrophe to mark the missing syllable. Ben Jonson uses it in a 1614 play: ''tis too good for you, 'less you had grace to follow it'.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The form can be a clipping of unless, written with an apostrophe marking the omission. internetshakespeare.uvic.ca
Ben Jonson's play containing the quotation dates to 1614 by its first staging. en.wikipedia.org
The quoted wording occurs in Bartholomew Fair, spoken by Wasp. bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com
9
verbnonstandard
Nonstandard alternative form of let's, mainly in casual writing ("less go").

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of less apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–7

From Middle English les, from Old English lǣs ("smaller, less"), from Proto-Germanic *laisiz and Proto-Indo-European *leys- ("to shrink, grow thin, be gentle"). It is related to Old Frisian lēs and Old Saxon lēs. According to Kroonen (2013), it comes from a northern Indo-European root *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-, which he links to Lithuanian liesas ("lean"). The determiner and preposition come from Old English lǣssa, and the verb and noun come from the Middle English determiner.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

The adverb descends through Middle English les and Old English lǣs from Proto-Germanic *laisiz. en.wiktionary.org
The traditional Indo-European derivation is *leys-, with the stated meanings. en.wiktionary.org
Old Frisian lēs and Old Saxon lēs are cognates. en.wiktionary.org
Kroonen's 2013 account connects the northern Indo-European reconstruction *leh₂is- or *leh₃is- with Lithuanian liesas, meaning lean. en.wiktionary.org
The determiner and preposition descend from Old English lǣssa. en.wiktionary.org
The verb and noun derive from the determiner through Middle English forms. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 8

From Middle English lesse or les, from Old English lǣs ("less"); later felt as a shortened unless and often written 'less.