The traditional view is that less applies to matters of degree, value, or amount and modifies collective nouns, mass nouns, or nouns denoting an abstract whole while fewer applies to matters of number and modifies plural nouns. Less has been used to modify plural nouns since the days of King Alfred and the usage, though roundly decried, appears to be increasing. Less is more likely than fewer to modify plural nouns when distances, sums of money, and a few fixed phrases are involved
Adjective We need less talk and more work! She finished in less time than I did. Less detail is sometimes better than more detail. 8 times 2 is less than 6 times 3. We made it there in less than six hours. The whole procedure takes less than five minutes. The illness affects less than one percent of the population. Adverb This test seemed much less difficult than the last one. Which test is the less difficult of the two? Do you have another one that's less expensive? She visits much less often than she used to. They're focusing more on quality and less on quantity. Their band is less concerned with making music than with making money. Preposition We earned two hundred dollars, less travel expenses. Adjective suffix my first painless day since leaving the hospital See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Ethereum merge provided less of a sustained boost to Ether, which immediately after the merge jumped to $1,641, but has since dropped 11.7%, trading at $1,448 on Friday afternoon, according to CoinMarketCap. Marco Quiroz-gutierrez, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2022 That means higher bond yields, lower stock prices and less of a chance at a soft landing. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 16 Sep. 2022 Available in five vibrant colors, this Snap N Strain strainer will make straining pasta and other foods less of a hassle. Ni'kesia Pannell, Woman's Day, 14 Sep. 2022 Commercial landlords who learned useful lessons about debt since then—except to carry less of it—face a slow reckoning. Carol Ryan, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022 Ellen [Pompeo] is having less of a role in the show this year, and this felt like the right moment to come at it fresh with a bunch [of new characters]. Samantha Highfill, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2022 Temperatures have fallen in the northern parts of the state, but the storm has had less of an impact there and wildfire conditions prevail, Sanchez said.Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2022 Chris Licht took over the network in May, pledging to restore its place in the center of the American cable news ecosystem—that is to say between MSNBC and Fox News—and make the network less of a lightning rod for criticism from the right. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2022 Pompeo, who has been the lead on Grey's since its premiere in 2005, is going to be less of a staple during season 19. Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 7 Sep. 2022
Adverb
Although opting for a showroom presentation can be less costly than a runway show, presenting at NYFW can be a steep investment for designers regardless of their approach. Greg Emmanuel, Essence, 16 Sep. 2022 To date, the European Union’s five largest economies have announced support for households, and less costly help for businesses, totaling €203 billion, equivalent to around $202 billion. David Uberti, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 Research also shows that people are generally less sensitive to contractor casualties than military personnel dying. Christopher Michael Faulkner, The Conversation, 15 Sep. 2022 Massey specifically said adoption should be less costly. James Pollard, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022 The next step is using the app to configure the power button, which also serves as a thumbprint reader—a setup that should make the bike somewhat less prone to theft, should anyone realize its function before trying to pedal off. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 8 Sep. 2022 There are signs that Marvel is entering into a less leak-prone approach. Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 Cubs director of hitting Justin Stone compared him offensively to Anthony Rizzo in an interview with the Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro, though Mervis is less prone to strikeouts than Rizzo, who was called up to the majors at 21. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2022 Lam-Phaure attests to the product's use of alcohol denat, which also happens to make the formula less prone to smudging. Michelle Rostamian, Allure, 3 Sep. 2022
Noun
Jobless and benefit-less: What should COVID-19's economic victims do for health insurance? Shefali Luthra, Phil Galewitz And Rachel Bluth, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2020 Hassett warned that March job lesses could be among the worst on record. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2020 But that doesn't make the scar (and the fall that preceded it) any less of an emotional trauma. Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 8 Oct. 2018 The have-lesses would dig in and hope to sneak something on the break. Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 17 June 2018 Sometimes burp-less is used as a marketing term for Asian varieties of cucumbers. The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 19 May 2017 Studying at home makes child care less of an obstacle and cuts out commuting time. Cliff Pinckard, cleveland.com, 4 Feb. 2018 The Giants were shut out for the first time 13 years at Arizona, pulse-less on offense. Peter King, SI.com, 26 Dec. 2017 Sleek and Brushed Back Another way to help to minimize the exposure of the scalp is to go part-less with a sleek, brushed back, wet look. Wendy Sy, Allure, 24 Oct. 2017
Preposition
Get ready for a lot less facial hair on your television. Megan Friedman, Country Living, 17 Nov. 2016 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Adverb, Noun, and Preposition
Middle English, partly from Old English lǣs, adverb & noun; partly from lǣssa, adjective; akin to Old Frisian lēs less
Adjective suffix
Middle English -les, -lesse, from Old English -lēas, from lēas devoid, false; akin to Old High German lōs loose, Old English losian to get lost — more at lose
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1