Synonyms

less than

Idioms

Not at all or hardly at all. For example, He had a less than favorable view of the matter, or She had a less than adequate grasp of the subject. This expression uses less in the sense of “a smaller quantity, number, or extent than is implied,” a usage dating from about a.d. 1000. The same sense appears in less than no time, a hyperbolic term for a very short time (as in Don't worry, he'll be here in less than no time) that dates from about 1800.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I’d made a boneheaded mistake, traveling more than 24 hours from Nashville to Ulaanbaatar less than a day before the race began.

From The Wall Street Journal

In both instances, the loss in data-center demand totaled less than 2,000 megawatts—a substantial amount of power, but not enough to create a crisis for the grid operator, known as PJM Interconnection.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is for the championship and we wanted it more tonight,” said Robinson, who sealed the win on a layup off an inbounds play with less than 20 seconds left.

From Los Angeles Times

The Lakers overcome a 12-point deficit in fourth quarter only for Royce O’Neale to make a winning three-pointer with less than a second left in the Suns’ victory.

From Los Angeles Times

To put it into context, a fifth of Nepal earns less than $2 a day, according to Reuters news agency.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023