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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of less
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026 Marcus Semien — a 35-year-old second baseman less than a month into his first season in Queens — said, cracking a rueful smile. —Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
Megan Friedman, Country Living, 17 Nov. 2016 See All Example Sentences for less
Adjective
Nothing less than the memorial ecology of the country was (potentially) at stake. —Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026 Marcus Semien — a 35-year-old second baseman less than a month into his first season in Queens — said, cracking a rueful smile. —Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
Preposition
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 the temperature then dropped into the low 20s (around minus 5 Celsius), ruining one variety of peach, said owner Anne Joudrey.— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
-
Miami was outscored by 66 points with Ware in the game; only Dru Smith was worse at minus 83.— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 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.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/less. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
