less (l s)adj. A comparative of little. 1. Not as great in amount or quantity: had less time to spend with the family. 2. Lower in importance, esteem, or rank: no less a person than the ambassador. 3. Consisting of a smaller number. See Usage Note at few. prep. With the deduction of; minus: Five less two is three. adv. Comparative of little. To a smaller extent, degree, or frequency: less happy; less expensive. n. Idioms: 1. A smaller amount: She received less than she asked for. 2. Something not as important as something else: People have been punished for less. less than Not at all: He had a less than favorable view of the matter. much/still less Certainly not: I'm not blaming anyone, much less you. [Middle English lesse, from Old English l  ssa (adj.) and ls (adv.); see leis-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
less [lɛs]
determiner
1.
b. (as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural) she has less than she needs the less you eat, the less you want
2. (usually preceded by no) lower in rank or importance no less a man than the president St. James the Less
no less Informal used to indicate surprise or admiration, often sarcastic, at the preceding statement she says she's been to Italy, no less
less of to a smaller extent or degree we see less of John these days less of a success than I'd hoped
adv
1. the comparative of little (sense 1) she walks less than she should less quickly less beautiful
much or still less used to reinforce a negative we don't like it, still less enjoy it
think less of to have a lower opinion of
prep
subtracting; minus three weeks less a day
[Old English lǣssa (adj), lǣs (adv, n)]
Usage: Usage. Less should not be confused with fewer. Less refers strictly only to quantity and not to number: there is less water than before. Fewer means smaller in number: there are fewer people than before
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Adj. | 1. | less - (comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree; "of less importance"; "less time to spend with the family"; "a shower uses less water"; "less than three years old" comparative, comparative degree - the comparative form of an adjective or adverb; "`faster' is the comparative of the adjective `fast'"; "`less famous' is the comparative degree of the adjective `famous'"; "`more surely' is the comparative of the adverb `surely'" slight, little - (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some; "little rain fell in May"; "gave it little thought"; "little time is left"; "we still have little money"; "a little hope remained"; "there's slight chance that it will work"; "there's a slight chance it will work" |
| 2. | less - (usually preceded by `no') lower in quality; "no less than perfect" inferior - of low or inferior quality | |
| 3. | less - (nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer; "less than three weeks"; "no less than 50 people attended"; "in 25 words or less" fewer - (comparative of `few' used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of; "fewer birds came this year"; "the birds are fewer this year"; "fewer trains were late" | |
| Adv. | 1. | less - used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs; "less interesting"; "less expensive"; "less quickly" more, to a greater extent - used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs; "more interesting"; "more beautiful"; "more quickly" |
| 2. | less - comparative of little; "she walks less than she should"; "he works less these days" more - comparative of much; to a greater degree or extent; "he works more now"; "they eat more than they should" |
less
determiner
adverb
pronoun
a smaller amount, not as much (as) Motorways cover less than 0.1 per cent of the countryside.
preposition
minus, without, lacking, excepting, subtracting Company car drivers will pay ten percent, less tax.
Quotations
"Less is more" [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]
"Less is more" [Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]
Usage: Less should not be confused with fewer. Less refers strictly only to quantity and not to number: there is less water than before. Fewer means smaller in number: there are fewer people than before.
Translations
less [les]
A. ADJ COMPAR of little 2 → menos
now we eat less bread → ahora comemos menos pan
she has less time to spare now → ahora tiene menos tiempo libre
of less importance → de menos importancia
St James the Less → Santiago el Menor
no less a person than the bishop → no otro que el obispo, el mismísimo obispo
that was told me by the minister no less → eso me lo dijo el mismo ministro
now we eat less bread → ahora comemos menos pan
she has less time to spare now → ahora tiene menos tiempo libre
of less importance → de menos importancia
St James the Less → Santiago el Menor
no less a person than the bishop → no otro que el obispo, el mismísimo obispo
that was told me by the minister no less → eso me lo dijo el mismo ministro
B. PRON → menos
it's less than you think → es menos de lo que piensas
can't you let me have it for less? → ¿no me lo puedes dar en menos?
less than £1/a kilo/three metres → menos de una libra/un kilo/tres metros
at a price of less than £1 → a un precio inferior or menor a una libra
less than a week ago → hace menos de una semana
a tip of £10, no less! → ¡una propina de 10 libras, nada menos!
nothing less than → nada menos que
it's nothing less than a disaster → es un verdadero or auténtico desastre
the less ... the less → cuanto menos ... menos ...
the less he works the less he earns → cuanto menos trabaja menos gana
the less said about it the better → cuanto menos se hable de eso mejor
it's less than you think → es menos de lo que piensas
can't you let me have it for less? → ¿no me lo puedes dar en menos?
less than £1/a kilo/three metres → menos de una libra/un kilo/tres metros
at a price of less than £1 → a un precio inferior or menor a una libra
less than a week ago → hace menos de una semana
a tip of £10, no less! → ¡una propina de 10 libras, nada menos!
nothing less than → nada menos que
it's nothing less than a disaster → es un verdadero or auténtico desastre
the less ... the less → cuanto menos ... menos ...
the less he works the less he earns → cuanto menos trabaja menos gana
the less said about it the better → cuanto menos se hable de eso mejor
C. ADV → menos
to go out less (often) → salir menos
you work less than I do → trabajas menos que yo
grief grows less with time → la pena disminuye a medida que pasa el tiempo
in less than an hour → en menos de una hora
it's less expensive than the other one → cuesta menos que el otro
less and less → cada vez menos
that doesn't make her any less guilty → no por eso es menos culpable
even less, still less → todavía menos, menos aún
the problem is less one of capital than of personnel → el problema más que de capitales es de personal
to go out less (often) → salir menos
you work less than I do → trabajas menos que yo
grief grows less with time → la pena disminuye a medida que pasa el tiempo
in less than an hour → en menos de una hora
it's less expensive than the other one → cuesta menos que el otro
less and less → cada vez menos
that doesn't make her any less guilty → no por eso es menos culpable
even less, still less → todavía menos, menos aún
the problem is less one of capital than of personnel → el problema más que de capitales es de personal
D. PREP → menos
the price less 10% → el precio menos 10 por ciento
the price less VAT → el precio excluyendo el IVA
a year less four days → un año menos cuatro días
the price less 10% → el precio menos 10 por ciento
the price less VAT → el precio excluyendo el IVA
a year less four days → un año menos cuatro días
less [ˈlɛs]
adj → moins de
I've got less time for hobbies now → J'ai moins de temps pour les loisirs maintenant.
A shower uses less water than a bath → Une douche consomme moins d'eau qu'un bain.
I've got less time for hobbies now → J'ai moins de temps pour les loisirs maintenant.
A shower uses less water than a bath → Une douche consomme moins d'eau qu'un bain.
pron → moins
A bit less, please → Un peu moins, s'il vous plaît.
He spent less than me → Il a dépensé moins que moi.
It cost less than we thought → Ça a coûté moins que nous ne le pensions.
I've got less than you → J'en ai moins que toi.
less of the money → une part moins importante de l'argent
Last year less of the money went into high-technology companies → L'année dernière, une part moins importante de l'argent est allé dans les sociétés de hautes technologies.
I see less of them now they've moved → Je les vois moins maintenant qu'ils ont déménagé.
no less than → pas moins de
She owns no less than four houses → Elle possède pas moins de quatre maisons.
no less (used for emphasis) → pas moins
the Prime Minister, no less! → le Premier ministre, pas moins!
A bit less, please → Un peu moins, s'il vous plaît.
He spent less than me → Il a dépensé moins que moi.
It cost less than we thought → Ça a coûté moins que nous ne le pensions.
I've got less than you → J'en ai moins que toi.
less of the money → une part moins importante de l'argent
Last year less of the money went into high-technology companies → L'année dernière, une part moins importante de l'argent est allé dans les sociétés de hautes technologies.
I see less of them now they've moved → Je les vois moins maintenant qu'ils ont déménagé.
no less than → pas moins de
She owns no less than four houses → Elle possède pas moins de quatre maisons.
no less (used for emphasis) → pas moins
the Prime Minister, no less! → le Premier ministre, pas moins!
adv (gen) → moins (= less often) → moins souvent
He's less intelligent than her → Il est moins intelligent qu'elle.
He goes out less than he used to → Il sort moins qu'avant.
I visit him less than I should → Je lui rends visite moins souvent que je ne le devrais.
less than half → moins de la moitié
less than one → moins de un
less than a kilo → moins d'un kilo
less than 3 metres → moins de 3 mètres
less than that → moins que cela
less than you → moins que vous
It's less than a kilometre from here → C'est à moins d'un kilomètre d'ici.
It costs less than 100 euros → Ça coûte moins de cent euros.
far less often → bien moins souvent
He still eats meat, but far less often → Il mange toujours de la viande mais bien moins souvent.
less and less → de moins en moins
We go out less and less → Nous sortons de moins en moins.
the less he works ... → moins il travaille ...
The less he works, the more he complains → Moins il travaille et plus il se plaint.
less than ever → moins que jamais
less than enthusiastic → pas des plus enthousiastes
Her greeting was less than enthusiastic → Son salut n'était pas des plus enthousiastes.
less than helpful
She was less than helpful → Elle n'était pas des plus serviables.
Her advice has frequently been less than helpful → Le plus souvent, ses conseils n'ont pas été des plus utiles.
He's less intelligent than her → Il est moins intelligent qu'elle.
He goes out less than he used to → Il sort moins qu'avant.
I visit him less than I should → Je lui rends visite moins souvent que je ne le devrais.
less than half → moins de la moitié
less than one → moins de un
less than a kilo → moins d'un kilo
less than 3 metres → moins de 3 mètres
less than that → moins que cela
less than you → moins que vous
It's less than a kilometre from here → C'est à moins d'un kilomètre d'ici.
It costs less than 100 euros → Ça coûte moins de cent euros.
far less often → bien moins souvent
He still eats meat, but far less often → Il mange toujours de la viande mais bien moins souvent.
less and less → de moins en moins
We go out less and less → Nous sortons de moins en moins.
the less he works ... → moins il travaille ...
The less he works, the more he complains → Moins il travaille et plus il se plaint.
less than ever → moins que jamais
less than enthusiastic → pas des plus enthousiastes
Her greeting was less than enthusiastic → Son salut n'était pas des plus enthousiastes.
less than helpful
She was less than helpful → Elle n'était pas des plus serviables.
Her advice has frequently been less than helpful → Le plus souvent, ses conseils n'ont pas été des plus utiles.
less
adj, adv, n → weniger; of less importance → von geringerer Bedeutung, weniger bedeutend; less noise, please! → nicht so laut, bitte!; no less a person than the bishop → kein Geringerer als der Bischof; he did it in less time → er hat es in kürzerer Zeit or schneller getan; to grow less → weniger werden; (= grow at slow rate) → langsamer wachsen; (= decrease) → abnehmen; his problem is less one of money than of enthusiasm → sein Problem ist weniger das Geld als vielmehr mangelnde Begeisterung; less and less → immer weniger; she saw him less and less (often) → sie sah ihn immer seltener; a sum less than £1 → eine Summe unter £ 1; it’s nothing less than disgraceful/than a disaster → es ist wirklich eine Schande/ein Unglück nt; this is nothing less than blackmail → das ist ja direkt Erpressung; it was little less than blackmail → das war schon fast Erpressung, das war so gut wie Erpressung; he was less frightened than angry → er war nicht so sehr ängstlich, sondern eher ärgerlich; less beautiful → nicht so schön; less quickly → nicht so schnell; he works less than I (do) → er arbeitet weniger als ich; still or even less → noch weniger; none the less → trotzdem, nichtsdestoweniger; I didn’t find the film any the less interesting → ich fand den Film nicht weniger interessant; I don’t love her any the less → ich liebe sie nicht weniger; their apology did not make him any the less angry → ihre Entschuldigung konnte seinen Ärger nicht besänftigen; can’t you let me have it for less? → können Sie es mir nicht etwas billiger lassen?; I hope you won’t think (any the) less of me → ich hoffe, du denkst nicht schlecht von mir; less of that! → komm mir nicht so!; x is less than/not less than 10 (Math) → x ist kleiner/kleiner (oder) gleich 10
less [lɛs] (little (comp of))
less [lɛs] (little (comp of))
1. adj → meno
now we eat less bread → ora mangiamo meno pane
she has less time to spare → ha meno tempo a disposizione
of less importance → di minor importanza
now we eat less bread → ora mangiamo meno pane
she has less time to spare → ha meno tempo a disposizione
of less importance → di minor importanza
2. pron → meno
we see less of them now → li vediamo di meno adesso
the less you read the less you learn → meno leggi meno impari
can't you let me have it for less? → mi potrebbe fare un piccolo sconto?
the less said about it the better → meno se ne parla e meglio è
less than half → meno della metà
less than £1/a kilo/3 metres → meno di una sterlina/un chilo/3 metri
less than you think → meno di quanto tu creda
less than you/ever → meno di te/che mai
the holiday was less than perfect → la vacanza non è stata proprio stupenda
it's nothing less than a disaster → è un disastro bell'e buono
a tip of £10, no less! (fam) → nientemeno che 10 sterline di mancia!
we see less of them now → li vediamo di meno adesso
the less you read the less you learn → meno leggi meno impari
can't you let me have it for less? → mi potrebbe fare un piccolo sconto?
the less said about it the better → meno se ne parla e meglio è
less than half → meno della metà
less than £1/a kilo/3 metres → meno di una sterlina/un chilo/3 metri
less than you think → meno di quanto tu creda
less than you/ever → meno di te/che mai
the holiday was less than perfect → la vacanza non è stata proprio stupenda
it's nothing less than a disaster → è un disastro bell'e buono
a tip of £10, no less! (fam) → nientemeno che 10 sterline di mancia!
3. adv → meno, di meno
to go out less (often) → uscire di meno
less and less → sempre meno
still less → ancora meno
none the less ... → ugualmente..., lo stesso...
to go out less (often) → uscire di meno
less and less → sempre meno
still less → ancora meno
none the less ... → ugualmente..., lo stesso...
4. prep → meno
less 5% → meno il 5%
less 5% → meno il 5%
less [lɛs] (little (comp of))
1. adj → meno
now we eat less bread → ora mangiamo meno pane
she has less time to spare → ha meno tempo a disposizione
of less importance → di minor importanza
now we eat less bread → ora mangiamo meno pane
she has less time to spare → ha meno tempo a disposizione
of less importance → di minor importanza
2. pron → meno
we see less of them now → li vediamo di meno adesso
the less you read the less you learn → meno leggi meno impari
can't you let me have it for less? → mi potrebbe fare un piccolo sconto?
the less said about it the better → meno se ne parla e meglio è
less than half → meno della metà
less than £1/a kilo/3 metres → meno di una sterlina/un chilo/3 metri
less than you think → meno di quanto tu creda
less than you/ever → meno di te/che mai
the holiday was less than perfect → la vacanza non è stata proprio stupenda
it's nothing less than a disaster → è un disastro bell'e buono
a tip of £10, no less! (fam) → nientemeno che 10 sterline di mancia!
we see less of them now → li vediamo di meno adesso
the less you read the less you learn → meno leggi meno impari
can't you let me have it for less? → mi potrebbe fare un piccolo sconto?
the less said about it the better → meno se ne parla e meglio è
less than half → meno della metà
less than £1/a kilo/3 metres → meno di una sterlina/un chilo/3 metri
less than you think → meno di quanto tu creda
less than you/ever → meno di te/che mai
the holiday was less than perfect → la vacanza non è stata proprio stupenda
it's nothing less than a disaster → è un disastro bell'e buono
a tip of £10, no less! (fam) → nientemeno che 10 sterline di mancia!
3. adv → meno, di meno
to go out less (often) → uscire di meno
less and less → sempre meno
still less → ancora meno
none the less ... → ugualmente..., lo stesso...
to go out less (often) → uscire di meno
less and less → sempre meno
still less → ancora meno
none the less ... → ugualmente..., lo stesso...
4. prep → meno
less 5% → meno il 5%
less 5% → meno il 5%
adj less [les]
(often withthan) not as much (as) Think of a number less than forty; He drank his tea and wished he had put less sugar in it; The salary for that job will be not less than $30,000. minder أقَل по-малък menší, méně mindre weniger λιγότερος menos väiksem, vähem کمتر vähemmän plus petit que, moins (de) פָּחוֹת कम manje kevesebb; kisebb tidak sebanyak minni en minore, meno, più piccolo ～より少ない ...보다 적은 mažesnis mazāks kurang minder mindre (enn) mnie(jszy) menos mai mic decât; mai puţin меньший menší; menej manj(ši) manji mindre น้อยกว่า daha az 更少的 менший کم kém 更少的
adv
not as much or to a smaller extent I like her less every time I see her; You should smoke less if you want to remain healthy. minder أقَل по-малко méně mindre weniger λιγότερο menos vähem کمتر vähemmän moins מִידָה פְּחוּתָה कम manje kevésbé makin berkurang minna meno ～より少なく 더 적게 mažiau mazāk kurang minder mindre mniej menos mai puţin меньше menej manj manje mindre น้อยลง daha az 較少地 менше تعداد، وزن وغیرہ میں کمتر nhỏ hơn 较少地
pron
a smaller part or amount He has less than I have. minder أقَل по-малко méně mindre weniger λιγότερο, μικρότερο μερίδιο ή ποσότητα menos vähem کمتر vähemmän kuin moins (que) פָּחוֹת कम manje kevesebb lebih kecil minna meno より少ない量 보다 적은 것 mažesnis kiekis mazāk lebih sedikit minder mindre (enn) mniej menos mai puţin (decât) меньше menej manj manje mindre น้อยกว่า daha az 更少 менше مقدار کا کمتر حصہ ít 更少
prep
minus He earns $280 a week less $90 income tax. minus أقَل без minus minus abzüglich μείον menos maha arvatud منهای miinus moins פָּחוֹת कटौती manje mínusz dikurangi mínus meno ～を減じて ...을 빼고 minus, atėmus, be bez; atskaitot kurang daripada min minus bez menos fără; mai puţin без mínus minus minus minus หักลบ noksan, eksik; eksi 減去 без نفی trừ đi 减去
v lessen
to make or become less The fan lessened the heat a little; When the children left, the noise lessened considerably. verminder يُقَلِّل намалявам snížit (se) formindske (sich) vermindern μειώνω, μειώνομαι reducir, disminuir vähendama, vähenema کمتر کردن vähentää diminuer לְהַפחִית घटना, कम होना smanjiti se kisebbít mengurangi minnka diminuire 少なくする 적어지다 mažinti, mažėti []mazināt; []mazināties mengurangkan verminderen (for)minske; avta, minke zmniejszyć diminuir a (se) micşora, a (se) reduce уменьшать(ся) zmenšiť (sa), znížiť (sa) zmanjšati (se) smanjiti minska ทำให้น้อยลง azal(t)mak 減少 зменшувати کم کرنا یا ہونا làm ít đi 减少
adj lesser
smaller or not as important the lesser of the two towns. kleiner أقَل من по-малък menší mindre kleiner λιγότερο σημαντικός, μικρότερος menor väiksem کمتر vähäisempi le/la moindre קָטָן יוֹתֵר लघु manji kisebb lebih kecil minni; óæðri; síðri minore, di minore importanza より小さい 보다 적은, 보다 중요하지 않은 mažesnis mazāks; sīkāks tidak begitu penting minder mindre (betydelig) (po)mniejszy menor (cel) mai mic меньший menší manjši manji mindre ที่มีความสำคัญน้อยกว่า daha küçük olan 較少的 менший اہمیت میں چھوٹا یا کمتر nhỏ hơn 较少的
adv
less the lesser-known streets of London. minder الأقَل по-малко méně mindre weniger λιγότερο menor vähem کمتر vähemmän moins בְּמִידָה פְּחוּתָה अल्प परिमाण या संख्या में, कम manje kevésbé kurang minna; lítt meno より少なく 보다 적게 mažiau mazāk kurang minder mindre; det minste mniej menos mai puţin менее menej manj manje mindre น้อยกว่า daha az/küçük, daha önemsiz 較少地 менше کم nhỏ hơn 较少地
the less … the less/more
etc The less I see of him, the better (pleased I'll be)!; The less I practise, the less confident I become; The less I try, the more I succeed. minder كلما كان أقَل колкото по-малко... толкова по-малко/повече... čím méně ... tím méně/více jo mindre ... desto mindre; jo mindre ... desto mere je weniger...desto besser, mehr, etc. όσο λιγότερο...τόσο λιγότερο, περισσότερο κτλ. cuanto menos... menos/más mida vähem ... seda vähem / rohkem هر چه کمتر ... mitä vähemmän…sitä vähemmän moins...moins/plus כְּכָל שֶׁ... פָּחוֹת...כֵּן जितना कम–उतना što manje...to manje/više mennél... annál... makin berkurang því minna .{{TH}}.{{TH}}. því meira/minna (meno... meno/più) ～しなければそれだけ～しない[] ...하면 할 수록 더욱 더 ...아니다(이다) kuo mažiau... tuo mažiau/labiau jo mazāk ... jo mazāk/vairāk/labāk lagi kurang hoe minder... hoe minder/meer jo mindre... jo bedre, jo mindre... jo mer im mniej... tym mniej/więcej itp. quanto menos...menos/mais cu cât..., cu atât... чем меньше... тем меньше/больше čím menej ... tým menej / viac(ej) manj ko ... manj/bolj što manje...to ju mindre ... desto mindre/mer ยิ่ง...น้อย ก็ยิ่ง...น้อยลง ne kadar az... o kadar... 越...就越... чим менше, тим менше / більше جتنا کم ۔ ۔ ۔ اتنا کم/زیادہ càng ít.. cáng ít 越...就越...
no less a person etc than
as great a person etc as: I had tea with no less a person than the Prime Minister شَخْص ليس أقل من، شَخْص عَظيم nikdo menší než ingen ringere end; selveste kein Geringerer als τον ίδιο nada menos que mitte keegi muu kui niinkin korkea-arvoisen henkilön kuin rien (de) moins que tidak kurang ekki minni/ómerkari maður (en) (nientemeno che) ほかならぬ～ 다름 아닌 바로 ne šiaip kas, o pats neviens cits kā niemand minder ingen ringere enn... nem mais nem menos nimeni altul decât не кто иной как; собственной персоной nikto iný ako nihče manj ingen mindre än bizzat o (kimse/şey) 身份不低於 身份不低于
less is used in speaking about quantity or amount: People should eat less fat ; I've less than $100 in the bank .
fewer sould be used in speaking about numbers of individual things or people: I've fewer books than he has ; There were fewer than 50 people at the meeting .
less → أقل, بدرجة أقل méně færre, mindre weniger λιγότερο, μικρότερος menos vähemmän moins manje, manji meno より少量, 少なく 더 적게, 보다 적은 양 minder mindre, minus bez, mniej menos без, меньше mindre, yngre น้อยกว่า, หักออก daha az ở mức ít hơn, trừ 较少, 较少地
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