less

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈlɛs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/lɛs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(les)

From little (adv):
less
adv comparative (When talking about amount)
lesser
adv comparative (To modify an adjective—e.g. "That is a little-known work of art, but this is an even lesser-known one.")
least
adv superlative
From little (adj):
littler
adj comparative (For size or age—e.g."That tree is little, but the tree next to it is even littler.")
littlest
adj superlative (For size or age—e.g. "Theo is the littlest of my three little brothers.")
less
adj comparative (For amount—e.g. "I have little money. Certainly less money than him.")
lesser
adj comparative (For degree or intensity—e.g. "She has little love for him. Certainly, her love for him is lesser than her love for her mother.")
least
adj superlative (For amount—e.g. "I have little money, but Jim is the one who has least money out of all of us.")

Collocations for "less"


Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "less" in context.

WordReference English Collocations © 2025

little

ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.
adj
  1. (the) little [girls, children]
  2. my little [brother, sister, boy, girl]
  3. poor little thing
  4. the little things matter
  5. (worry about) every little [thing, detail]
  6. what a [pretty, cute] little
  7. are too little [for, to]
  8. when I was little, I always [said, did, tried]
  9. is little in [terms of, relation to]
  10. for as little as [$4]
  11. have little interest in
  12. have little time [to, for]
  13. [there is, I have] little doubt that
adv
  1. [eats, sleeps] very little
  2. little did she [know, realize, suspect] (that)
'less' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
TV - a little - abrupt - academic - accommodation - accurate - accurately - advanced - adventurous - affluent - aggressive - amenable - angle - appealing - applicable - apprehensive - attendance - average - become - brittle - buck - buoyant - care - careless - challenging - character - chatter - checkout - clarity - closer - colloquial - commute - compelling - competitive - considerate - conspicuous - consume - conversely - daunting - decade - delighted - dependent - deserve - desirable - dollar - douche - dozen - drill - drink - earn

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