less | Lernwerd

Definitions

Adverb
A word that modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb, or a clause.

1.comparative degree of little
- I like him less each time I see him.
- All my cares grew less until completely gone.
- I slept even less last night than I did the night before.
2.Used for constructing syntactic diminutive comparatives of adjectives and adverbs.
- This gadget is less useful than I expected.
- I'm not any less happy for being on my own.
- Randal is less welcome than Rachel but as her spouse we should invite them both.
3.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.

Determiner
A word placed before a noun to show which person or thing is meant, or how much or how many.

1.comparative form of little: more little; of inferior size, degree or extent; smaller, lesser.
- Those Rattels are somewhat like the chape of a Rapier, but lesse, which they take from the taile of a snake.
- We are likewise ready to maintain with the hazard of all that is near and dear to us, that six is less than seven in all times and all places […].
2.A smaller amount of; not as much.
- No less than eight pints of beer.
- You have even less sense than an inanimate object.
- I have less tea than coffee.
3.Fewer; a smaller number of.
- There are less people here now.
- Now there are three less green bottles hanging on the wall.
- The express checkout lane is for those with ten items or less.

Preposition
A word placed before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show its relationship to another part of the sentence.

1.Minus; not including
- It should then tax all of that as personal income, less the proportion of the car's annual mileage demonstrably clocked up on company business.

Noun
A word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea.

1.A smaller amount or quantity.
- I have less to do today than yesterday.

Frequency

Overall

Common· #513

By learning goal

Everyday conversation: Rare
General reading & writing: Common
Academic: Uncommon
Literature: Rare

Related words

Antonyms

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Word family

Etymology

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”).

AdverbAdverb×A word that modifies a verb, adjective, another adverb, or a clause.

DetDeterminer×A word placed before a noun to show which person or thing is meant, or how much or how many.

PrepPreposition×A word placed before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show its relationship to another part of the sentence.

NounNoun×A word that identifies a person, place, thing, or idea.