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Synonyms for Lesser than. (2016). Retrieved 2023, April 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/lesser_than
Synonyms for Lesser than. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2023. <https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/lesser_than>.
Synonyms for Lesser than. 2016. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/lesser_than.
In many game systems (particularly fantasy or role-playing games), relative qualities or power levels are denoted by naming things using «lesser» or «greater». For example, in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, there are weapon augmentation crystals, that might be named
- Least crystal of Arcane Steel
- Lesser crystal of Arcane Steel
- Greater crystal of Arcane Steel
etc.
It seems odd to me that there is a «least», a «lesser», and a «greater», but nothing in the middle. It makes sense that a «lesser» object is lesser than the «greater» one, and vice versa, but it seems strange to not have something in the middle. Of course one could argue that the one in the middle needs no such qualifier, but I was wondering — is there a word that can stand alongside words such as «lesser» and «greater» to denote that something is the «regular» version?
I thought of «common», but that strays into ideas of rarity, which is slightly different.
asked Jun 29, 2015 at 13:37
4
I think you are right when you say that it could be argued that ‘the one in the middle’ needs no qualifier. And that is likely what would be best. However, if you felt the need to emphasize its ‘normality’, so to speak, then I believe words such as standard, common, everyday, normal, conventional, or ordinary would suffice.
answered Jun 29, 2015 at 14:18
1
There are several metaphorical realms you should explore.
Go mathematical and you can select from medium, median, average.
Choose quality and you have standard, paradigm,
If height is your metaphor mezzanine, base camp, Appenine.
Or there’s distance arrow-flight, middling, stone’s-throw.
answered Jun 29, 2015 at 14:19
HughHugh
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Considering that Lesser, Greater, etc. are similar to prefixes it’s possible that there’s no need for a word in between “lesser” and “greater.” Instead of using a word in between, you could use the absence of any word. You would do this because words like lesser or greater show that it’s a lesser or greater version of it so when it’s the normal version there is no need to specify.
For example:
- Lesser crystal of Arcane Steel
- Crystal of Arcane Steel
- Greater crystal of Arcane Steel
Other than that you could use the word «normal.»
For example:
- Lesser crystal of Arcane Steel
- Normal Crystal of Arcane Steel
- Greater crystal of Arcane Steel
answered Apr 7, 2021 at 14:14
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#1
Hello,
I’d like to know if the forms «no lesser than» and «no less than» are correct.
Thank you,
Romain
-
#2
As always, we need some context in order to make a more informed answer, but I would guess that ‘no less than’ is a lot more likely to be what you want. It may be possible to construct a sentence where ‘no lesser than’ would make sense, but I can’t think of one.
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#3
The amount to be paid on the first day of the month should be $50 or less, no lesser than the minimum monthly charge. I am not sure if this sentence makes total sense, but this would be the use of lesser. Lesser is often used in contracts where certain amounts are mentioned for financial reasons.
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#4
You need to pay no less than $5 each month.
You will receive the lesser of (a) the actual cost of replacing the stolen article; and (b) $250.
I could not face going home. Sleeping rough in the forest was the lesser of two evils.
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#5
The amount to be paid on the first day of the month should be $50 or less, no lesser than the minimum monthly charge. I am not sure if this sentence makes total sense, but this would be the use of lesser. Lesser is often used in contracts where certain amounts are mentioned for financial reasons.
I think you want ‘no less than’ and not ‘no lesser than’. But perhaps American English differs from British English in this regard.
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#6
In legal language it is often no lesser, for some reason. I have never seen no lesser in regular AE.
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#7
The amount to be paid on the first day of the month should be $50 or less, no lesser than the minimum monthly charge.
You need to pay no less than $5 each month.
To sum up, according the context, we can use both. Am I right?
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#8
Um. No, not really. Don’t use «no lesser than» — it’s archaic and bizarre-sounding, because nowadays «lesser» is, as the OED says, «only» used attributively.
There’s at least one reliable person who’s used «no lesser than,» though:
a1616 Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) v. vi. 187 He (true Knight) No lesser of her Honour confident Then I did truly finde her.
That was 500 years ago, though. He also used it in Richard II: «Thy death-bed is no lesser than the land wherein thou liest in reputation sick.»
When I googled «no lesser than,» I found a claimed 412,000 results — but of those, many of the results are written in poor English. Here’s a graph that shows just how unpopular «no lesser than» is: http://books.google.com/ngrams/grap…start=1500&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3
(PS: Shakespeare probably used «lesser» instead of «less» so that the lines would work out in terms of versification — i.e. with «lesser,» he found an easy way to make iambs.)
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#9
In legal language it is often no lesser, for some reason. I have never seen no lesser in regular AE.
OK, Liliana, but (even in legal language) do you see «no lesser
than
» ? I doubt it.
«Less«, when used in «less than»/»no less than», is likely to be an adverb or [pro]noun (depending on the sentence structure) : «He looked no less than 50″, «Come back in no less than an hour».
«Lesser» is usually an attributive adjective (essentially a comparative of little, in size, quantity, quality or importance), and so would be used before a noun: a lesser man, the lesser evil, the lesser amount — or it may be considered as a noun in «the lesser of two evils«, «the lesser of the two amounts» — or it’s an adverb in «lesser known«, etc. In none of those uses could «than» be added directly after «lesser«. You could have «a lesser amount than was quoted« «a lesser man than he«, «no lesser man than he«, but lesser and than are not consecutive. Or you can have «no lesser» without «than» (implicit comparison): «No lesser amount is acceptable«, «no lesser man could do it«.
So to sum up …
«no less» and «no lesser» both exist, but with different uses, so are not interchangeable.
«no less than» is correct, but, like heypresto, I can’t think of a sentence where «no lesser than» would make sense.
Ws
[Edit]: Excellent graph, lucas. A picture paints a thousand words, and it certainly supports what we’re both saying.
Last edited: Jan 19, 2012
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#10
I think you can find some unusual expressions with lesser in legal writing, but I would not advise to use them in other contexts. The only time I heard this word in other contexts was the title of a movie Children of a Lesser God.
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#11
Um… that’s the only time you’ve heard the word «lesser» outside of a legal context? You haven’t heard the phrase «the lesser of two evils»?
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#12
… or lesser-known? … or the Lesser Antilles? … or the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (though that’s probably called something different in AE)?
Ws
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#13
In none of those uses could «than» be added directly after «lesser«. You could have «a lesser amount than was quoted« «a lesser man than he«, «no lesser man than he«, but lesser and than are not consecutive. Or you can have «no lesser» without «than» (implicit comparison): «No lesser amount is acceptable«, «no lesser man could do it«.
I guess that’s the reason why I was confused.
Thank you all for your explanations (and graphs). Solved!
Romain
Last edited: Jan 19, 2012
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#14
I have found this forum.
http://www.exisle.net/mb/index.php?/topic/30078-is-lesser-than-grammatically-correct/
Here is one of the sentences from there.
Left sub-tree is lesser than root.
Do you think it is better to say «Left sub-tree is less than root.» anyway?
I found this thoughts of interest:
«^ I think «lesser than» is correct, but its meaning is closer to «smaller than» than to «less than» — just as «lesser» is closer to «smaller» than to «less».«
Could it be said like: «Left sub-tree is smaller than root.»
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#15
«Left sub-tree is lesser than root» is binary maths-speak, probably in a computer programming context — and that’s an area with a language all its own, so I wouldn’t try to relate it to normal usage. (Remember, there are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary, and those who don’t.)
Ws
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#17
Of these new examples, I can accept the second one, because we do definitely talk about «lesser authors» of a period or style.
In the first example, I would definitely prefer «is as great as,» because I get confused about what it means to have «lesser susceptibility.» The last one is gibberish to me.
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#18
I have to join with wordsmyth.
1. the susceptibility is no less than …
2. the literary merit is no less than …
3. the premium of a Mid-Atlantic option is no less than …
No lesser, a comparative, can be used in such sentences as
A: «I don’t believe what I am hearing! You don’t want to go to university because you would not be able to follow your football team! No lesser reason could be given!»
A: «I am afraid there is no ‘children’s menu’ All portions are adult size. There are no lesser portions available.»
and
I think there may be some confusion between «No less a <noun> than» and «No lesser <noun>»
«No less a man than our own dear King has travelled to India!» No less a man than = The most illustrious man
«No lesser man than our own dear king has travelled to India!» = nobody who is of less status than the king…
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#19
«No lesser man than our own dear king has travelled to India!» = nobody who is of less status than the king…
Hello PaulQ,
I want to doublecheck. Is it correct to say «nobody who is of less status than the king»? What about «nobody who is of a lesser status than the king».
Словосочетания
Автоматический перевод
меньше, чем
Перевод по словам
less — менее, меньше, без, меньший, без, без-, не-
than — чем, кроме, как, чтобы
Примеры
She walks less than she should.
Она ходит меньше, чем следует.
The course was less than a mile.
Дистанция была меньше мили длиной.
8 times 2 is less than 6 times 3.
Восемью два меньше, чем шестью три.
She charges less than the usual fee.
Она просит меньше обычной платы.
The fees work out to less than $1,000.
Гонорары составляют менее 1000 долларов.
We made it there in less than six hours.
Мы добрались туда менее чем за шесть часов.
They stayed there for less than an hour.
Они пробыли там меньше часа.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
She mastered Japanese in less than two years 
Women’s bodies can tolerate less alcohol than men’s.
No agent would trouble about you for less than that.»
His job is much less grand than his title makes it sound.
The issues have proved to be less tractable than expected.
None of these sculptures was less than three metres in height.
The police collared him less than twenty minutes after the robbery.
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Less than or equal to relation is one of the inequalities used to represent the relation between two non-equal numbers or other mathematical expressions. We know that the ‘less than’ symbol is used to show that one quantity is lesser than the other quantity, and the ‘is equal to’ symbol is used to show that two quantities are equal. Similarly, there is a symbol of less than or equal to in math which is used to show that one quantity can be less than the other quantity or equal to the other quantity.
| 1. | What is Less Than or Equal To? |
| 2. | Less Than or Equal to Symbol in Words |
| 3. | Less Than or Equal to Meaning |
| 4. | Less Than or Equal to on a Number Line |
| 5. | FAQs on Less Than or Equal to |
What is Less Than or Equal To?
‘Less than or equal to’, as the name suggests, means a variable is either less than or equal to another number, variable, or quantity. ‘Less than or equal to’ can also be expressed as at most, no more than, a maximum of, and not exceeding. Observe the following figure to see the symbol that shows a ‘less than’ sign with a sleeping line under it.
Less Than or Equal To Symbol in Word
Let us understand the less than or equal to symbol in words with an example. James works at a departmental store, and he is paid on an hourly basis. He can work for a maximum of 8 hours per day. Do you know what’s meant by the term maximum, here? This means James can work for less than or equal to 8 hours per day in the store. Let us represent the number of hours James worked as x hours. So, we can write the given example mathematically as, x ≤ 8.
Less Than or Equal To Meaning
We come across certain statements involving the signs ‘≤’ and ‘≥’ which are called inequalities. Both inequalities have different meanings. We can easily understand them by comparison. Here are some comparisons of these symbols and their examples along with their meanings.
| Symbol | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
|
Less than or equal to, ≤ |
x ≤ 7 |
The value of x is less than or equal to 7. |
|
− 5 ≤ x ≤ 3 |
The value of x should lie between − 5 and 3, inclusive of both values. | |
| Greater than or equal to, ≥ |
x ≥ 2 |
The value of x is greater than or equal to 2. |
|
2 ≥ x ≥ − 1 |
The value of x should lie between − 1 and 2, inclusive of both values. |
Less Than or Equal to on a Number Line
Inequalities like less than or equal to and greater than or equal to are represented in a different way on a number line. To denote these, we use the closed circle to mark the limit value and point the arrow towards the given condition of inequality. Let us see this on a number line given below:
We can see that when we want to denote ‘x less than or equal to — 5’, we marked a circle at — 5 and pointed an arrow towards the values less than — 5, as suggested in the condition of inequality. Similarly, when we want to denote ‘x greater than or equal to — 2’, we marked a circle at — 2 and pointed an arrow towards the values greater than — 2, as suggested in the condition of inequality.
Related Topics:
Check out the interesting topics to learn more about less than or equal to, and its related topics.
- Number Line
- Greater Than Calculator
- How To Make a Greater Than or Equal to Sign
- Greater Than or Equal To
Important Notes:
Following are the notes that help in the concept of less than or equal to.
- Same numbers can either be added or subtracted on both sides of an inequality without changing the sign of inequality.
- Same positive numbers can either be multiplied or divided into both sides of an inequality without changing the sign of inequality.
- Same negative numbers can either be multiplied or divided on both sides of an inequality and the sign of inequality gets reversed.
Less Than or Equal To Examples
-
Example 1: A classroom can occupy 60 study tables at most. Express this statement using the less than or equal to symbol.
Solution:
Let’s represent the number of study tables by the variable x.
It is given that the classroom can occupy a maximum of 60 study tables.
So, this can be represented by a simple inequality.
∴ x ≤ 60
Therefore, the condition is represented as x ≤ 60, where x is the number of tables.
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Example 2: Charles had 18 chocolates which he was going to distribute to his friends on his birthday. Since the box was open, he lost some chocolates on the way. If x is the number of chocolates that Charles currently has, write an inequality using the ‘less than or equal to’ symbol that represents this situation.
Solution:
Number of chocolates Charles had initially = 18
Since he lost some chocolates, the number of chocolates with him currently is less than 18.
x < 18 ⋯(1)
We know that the number of chocolates should be a non-negative quantity. Hence,
x ≥ 0
This inequality can also be written as:
0 ≤ x ⋯(2)
From the inequalities (1) and (2), we get,
0 ≤ x < 18Therefore, the number of chocolates Charles has is represented as 0 ≤ x < 18.
-
Example 3: Jolly’s teacher asked her to find the numbers that belong to the set as shown on the blackboard.
Can you help her?
Solution:
We know that Z is the set of integers.
The given set is:
{x∈Z|x≤4}
This means that we have to find all the integers that are less than or equal to 4.
Since the set of integers is infinite, the numbers that belong to the given set are:
…, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
Therefore, the numbers in the given set are …, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.
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FAQs on Less than or Equal to
How Do You Type Less Than or Equal To?
Less than or equal to is represented by the symbol ≤. So if we want to write x is less than or equal to 6, we write it as x ≤ 6, which means that x can have any value from negative infinity to 6 but not more than 6.
What Does Less Than or Equal To Mean?
Less than or equal to in math means that you can’t have more than something, you must have either less than or equal to the given limit. ‘Less than or equal to’, as the name suggests, means a number is either less than or equal to another number. It can also be expressed as at most, no more than, a maximum of, and not exceeding.
How Do You Use Less Than or Equal To?
Less than or equal to is used to express an inequality where a variable or an expression could be less than or equal to a number, variable, or expression. For example, a ≤ 2, x + y ≤ 6, p ≤ 6q+8, etc.
What is the Difference Between Less Than and Less Than or Equal To?
The inequality ‘less than’ is represented by the symbol < whereas the inequality ‘less than or equal to’ is represented as ≤. The inequality ‘less than’ means that some variable or number can have any value that is less than the given limit, not more than that or equal than that limit, but the inequality ‘less than or equal to’ states that the number or variable can be equal or less than the given limit. Here, the inclusion of the limit is the difference.
What is an Example of Less Than or Equal To?
If we have an inequality: x ≤ 4, this means that we have to find all the integers that are less than or equal to 4. Since the set of integers is infinite, the numbers that belong to the given set are: …,−3,−2,−1,0,1,2,3,4.
What is Another Word for Less Than or Equal To?
‘Less than or equal to’, in math, means something is either less than or equal to another quantity. ‘Less than or equal to’ can also be expressed as at most, no more than, a maximum of, and not exceeding.
The words ‘less’ and ‘fewer’ are used interchangeably. Both have the same meaning. They are the opposite of ‘more’. But when we use the words ‘less than’ and ‘fewer than’ there is a slight difference.
Key Takeaways
- “Less than” applies to uncountable nouns or continuous quantities, whereas “fewer than” relates to countable nouns.
- “Less than” is appropriate for abstract concepts like time and money, while “fewer than” describes specific numbers or objects.
- Incorrect usage of “less than” and “fewer than” can lead to ambiguous or grammatically incorrect statements.
Less than” is used when comparing an uncountable quantity or a quantity that cannot be easily divided into discrete units. Examples are time and temperature, etc. “Fewer than” is used when comparing a countable quantity that can be divided into discrete units. Examples are animals and objects.
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There are exceptions like it is used in the plural nouns to represent distance, amount and time. Plastic, space, water are some of the uncountable things. But to make them countable we use the words like Less than. In the case of money, we think that money can be counted.
Rebecca has fewer than twenty dollars left. In the case where percentage comes, it sometimes becomes difficult whether to use Less than or fewer than. So we have to see the big picture and think that what is the percentage we are talking about? Then it becomes easy to use.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Less Than | Fewer Than |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | Mass | Counting |
| Reference | Degree | Quantity |
| Specify | Volume | Number |
| Exceptions | Used in plural nouns, with time, money, weight etc. | Used with numbers and percentages. |
| Examples | I have less than 30 minutes to reach home. | He has fewer than 50 rupees in his wallet. |
What is Less Than?
Less Than according to grammar should be used with a singular noun. It includes mass nouns as well. However, according to grammarians, this rule cannot be applied correctly in modern times.
We cannot use fewer than in this sentence because it is awkward and becomes unexpected. With time, also Less than seems exceptional. As time can be counted in minutes, hours and seconds.
Less than is used in the formal language. It is used to specify the volume or mass of the quantities.
What is Fewer Than?
Fewer Than is used when we have to count things. For example, Come to this shop, if you want to check the fewer than 10 items. Similarly, Fewer than can be used for fewer buses and fewer homes.
If a noun is preceded by a number then it becomes easier to remember that Fewer Than should be used. Fewer than is used for the plural noun. Fewer Than is also used with the percentage.
When using the sentence for grocery items, fewer than can be used. If more than twelve items are there. Because it is counted as a plural noun.
Main Differences Between Less Than and Fewer Than
- Exceptions of Less Than is used in plural nouns, with time, money, weight etc. Exceptions of Fewer Than is used with numbers and percentages.
- An example of Less than is ‘I have less than 30 minutes to reach home’. An example of Fewer than is ‘He has fewer than 50 rupees in his wallet.’
References
- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.analchem.7b02380
- http://www.mathnet.ru/eng/semr487
Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
- below
- lesser
- lower than
- subject
- subordinate
- unbefitting
- under
- underneath
- unworthy of
On this page you’ll find 14 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to less than, such as: below, lesser, lower than, subject, subordinate, and unbefitting.
Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
How to use less than in a sentence
King threw away his less-than-half-consumed cheroot and they started to walk together toward King’s camp.
KING—OF THE KHYBER RIFLESTALBOT MUNDY
They are not seen; they are not heard, they are less-than nothing, and there is no intercession.
GREEN MANSIONSW. H. HUDSON
SYNONYM OF THE DAY
OCTOBER 26, 1985
WORDS RELATED TO LESS THAN
- below
- less than
- lesser
- lower than
- subject
- subordinate
- unbefitting
- under
- underneath
- unworthy of
Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
I want to ask about the number of people whose ages are
less than or equal to 18. It is important to be precise and mention that also this includes those whose ages equal to 18 (thereforeless than 18is not suitable)So I have this sentence:
How many girls whose ages are less than or equal to 18 do you have?
Is there any better way to describe this age range?
Answer
Instead of:
How many girls whose ages are less than or equal to 18 do you have?
You could say:
How many girls do you have who are aged 18 or under?
or
How many girls do you have who are under 19 years of age?
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : randomname , Answer Author : rjpond