Meaning

2 senses

  1. (comparative, diminutive)Used for constructing syntactic diminutive comparatives of adjectives and adverbs.

    Randal is less welcome than Rachel but as her spouse we should invite them both.

    This gadget is less useful than I expected.

    used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs, indicates that the adjective or adverb is less of something

  2. (comparative, diminutive)To a smaller extent or degree.

    The grammar book was less than (that is, not at all) helpful.

    That this is a positive one makes it no less a stereotype, and therefore unacceptable.

    weniger

    ме́ньшеménʹše, ме́нееméneje

    ме́ншеménše, меншmenš

Examples

4010 sentences

  1. I have at least ten books.

    У мене є принаймні десять книжок. — deniko

    deIch habe mindestens zehn Bücher. — MUIRIEL

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. That's the least of my problems.

    Це найменша з моїх проблем. — deniko

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. We've got less than an hour.

    У нас менше години. — deniko

    ruУ нас меньше часа. — odexed

    deUns bleibt weniger als eine Stunde. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. The less you know, the better, OK?

    Чим менше ти знаєш, тим краще, гаразд? — deniko

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. That probably cost less than a dollar.

    Це, мабуть, коштувало менше долара. — deniko

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

8 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to a smaller extent or degree:
Русский
By meaning 1
to a smaller extent or degree:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to a smaller extent or degree:

Origin

Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣs (“smaller, less

Adverb From Middle English les, lesse, leasse, lasse, from Old English lǣs (“smaller, less”), from Proto-Germanic *laisiz, from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to shrink, grow thin, be gentle”). Cognate with Old Frisian lēs (“less”), Old Saxon lēs (“less”). According to Kroonen (2013), from a northern Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *leh₂is- or *leh₃is-, which he connects to Lithuanian liesas (“lean”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Synonyms

1 synonyms
Close in meaning
  • used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs, indicates that the adjective or adverb is less of something:to a lesser extent

Antonyms

1 antonyms
moreB1

Collocations

12 patterns
  • at least least
  • least least
  • least least three
  • least least once
  • the least least
  • least least one
  • for at least
  • least least thirty
  • less than three
  • least least a
  • in less than
  • that at least

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
lesbianlesionlessenB1lesserlessonA1

Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.

less — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto