lesserless‧er /ˈlesə $ -ər/ ●●○ adjective [only before noun] 
They originally asked for $5 million, but finally settled for a lesser sum.to a lesser extent/degree This was true in Madrid and, to a lesser extent, Valencia and Seville. → lesser mortals at mortal2, → to a greater or lesser extent at extent(1)2the lesser of two evils (also the lesser evil) the less unpleasant or harmful of two unpleasant choices3 technical used in the names of some types of animal, bird, or plant that are slightly smaller than the main type—lesser adverb: the lesser-known artists of the period one of Glasgow’s lesser-used venues
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The jury found him innocent of murder, but could not decide on the lesser charges.
- But real life, of course, teaches lesser men to keep their heads down and their mouths shut.
- His fitness and determination ensured that he survived a journey on which a lesser man could have been lost without trace.
- Hundreds of lesser sites were destroyed.
- It had lain on the matting by his feet looking somehow obscenely wealthy and golden among the lesser coins.
- Rather, they affect production through their influence on labour quality and, to a lesser extent, labour quantity.
- The lesser verdict may also assist the judge in sentencing, and help the public to understand the sentence imposed.
- To impress and drive away lesser males, the harem bull develops a darker coat and a swollen neck.
WORD SETS
aerobic, adjectiveafterbirth, nounalgae, nounalimentary canal, nounamber, nounameba, nounamino acid, nounamoeba, nounanaconda, nounanaerobic, adjectiveandrogynous, adjectiveantibody, nounantigen, nounantitoxin, nounappendage, nounarm, nounarmour, nounasexual, adjectiveassimilation, nounatrophy, verbaviary, nounbacteria, nounbacteriology, nounbarnacle, nounbile, nounbinocular vision, nounbio-, prefixbiochemistry, nounbiodegradable, adjectivebiodiversity, nounbiohazard, nounbiological, adjectivebiological clock, nounbiology, nounbiomass, nounbiome, nounbiosphere, nounblind, nounbrain, nounbreathe, verbbreed, verbbreed, nounbreeding, nounbristle, nounbulb, nouncapsule, nouncarbohydrate, nouncarbon dioxide, nouncarnivore, nouncell, nouncellular, adjectivecellulose, nouncentral nervous system, nouncervical, adjectivecholesterol, nounchromosome, nouncirculation, nouncirculatory, adjectiveclass, nounclone, nouncold-blooded, adjectiveconceive, verbconch, nounconnective tissue, nouncopulate, verbcoral reef, nouncornea, nouncoronary, adjectivecorpuscle, nouncortex, nouncortisone, nouncowrie, nouncrab, nouncrawfish, nouncrayfish, nouncreature, nouncross, verbcrossbreed, nounculture, nouncytoplasm, noundecay, verbdecay, noundecompose, verbdefecate, verbdenizen, noundextrose, noundiaphragm, noundigest, verbdigestion, noundigestive, adjectiveDNA, noundorsal, adjectivedry rot, nounduct, noundwarf, noundwarf, adjectiveecological, adjectiveecology, nounecosystem, nounegg, nounejaculate, verbembryo, nounembryonic, adjectiveenzyme, nounepidermis, nounevolution, nounevolutionary, adjectiveexcrement, nounexcrescence, nounexcrete, verbexcretion, nounexhale, verbexoskeleton, nounextinction, nounfaeces, nounfamily, nounfang, nounfat, nounfatty acid, nounfauna, nounfeces, nounfeed, verbfemale, adjectivefemale, nounferment, verbferment, nounfertile, adjectivefertility, nounfertilize, verbfission, nounflank, nounflatulence, nounflesh, nounfleshy, adjectiveflightless, adjectiveflora, nounfoetal, adjectivefoetus, nounfoliage, nounfossil, nounfreak, nounfreshwater, adjectivefructose, noungamete, nounganglion, noungene, noungene pool, noungenera, genetic, adjectivegenetic code, noungenetic engineering, noungenetic fingerprinting, noungenetics, noungenome, noungenus, noungestation, noungland, nounglandular, adjectiveglucose, noungluten, noungonad, noungrass snake, noungrow, verbgrowth, nounhabitat, nounhaemoglobin, nounhearing, nounheart, nounhemisphere, nounherbivore, nounhereditary, adjectiveheredity, nounhermaphrodite, nounhibernate, verbhistamine, nounhoming, adjectivehormone, nounhost, nounimpregnate, verbimpulse, nounincubate, verbindigenous, adjectiveinfected, adjectiveinfertile, adjectiveinfest, verbingest, verbinhale, verbinseminate, verbinsensate, adjectiveinsulin, nounintegument, nounintercourse, nouninterferon, nounintestine, nouninvertebrate, nouninvoluntary, adjectiveiris, nounjaw, nounjelly, nounkidney, nounkrill, nounlactate, verblactation, nounlactic acid, nounleech, nounleg, nounlesser, adjectivelichen, nounlife, nounlife cycle, nounlife form, nounligament, nounlimb, nounlimpet, nounlipid, nounliver, nounliving fossil, nounlocomotion, nounlymph, nounlymph node, nounmale, adjectivemale, nounmammal, nounmandible, nounmate, nounmate, verbmembrane, nounmetabolism, nounmetabolize, verbmetamorphosis, nounmicrobe, nounmicrobiology, nounmicroorganism, nounmicroscopic, adjectivemigrate, verbmigratory, adjectivemiscarriage, nounmolar, nounmorphology, nounmotor, adjectivemould, nounmouth, nounmucous membrane, nounmucus, nounmulticellular, adjectivemuscle, nounmuscular, adjectivemutant, nounmutate, verbmutation, nounnatural history, nounnatural selection, nounnature, nounneck, nounnectar, nounnerve, nounnervous, adjectivenervous system, nounneural, adjectiveneuro-, prefixneurology, nounnode, nounnose, nounnostril, nounnucleic acid, nounnucleus, nounnutrient, nounnutriment, nounoesophagus, nounoestrogen, nounolfactory, adjectiveoptic, adjectiveorgan, nounorganic, adjectiveorganic chemistry, nounorganism, nounorifice, nounossify, verbosteo-, prefixoutgrowth, nounova, ovary, nounoverwinter, verboviduct, nounoviparous, adjectiveovulate, verbovum, nounparasite, nounpathogen, nounpedigree, nounpelvic, adjectivepelvis, nounpenile, adjectivepenis, nounpepsin, nounperiod, nounperspiration, nounperspire, verbphotosynthesis, nounphylum, nounpigment, nounpigmentation, nounplankton, nounplasma, nounpollinate, verbpostnatal, adjectivepregnancy, nounpregnant, adjectivepremature, adjectiveprenatal, adjectiveproduct, nounproliferation, nounpropagate, verbprotein, nounprotoplasm, nounprotozoan, nounpuberty, nounpulmonary, adjectivepulp, nounpulsation, nounputrefy, verbputrid, adjectivered blood cell, nounregurgitate, verbrenal, adjectivereproduce, verbreproduction, nounreproductive, adjectiverespiration, nounrespiratory, adjectiverespire, verbretina, nounroot, nounrot, verbrot, nounruff, nounsac, nounsaliva, nounsalivary gland, nounsalivate, verbsaltwater, adjectivescale, nounscallop, nounscaly, adjectivesebaceous, adjectivesecrete, verbsecretion, nounsemen, nounsense organ, nounsensory, adjectiveserum, nounsex, nounsex, verbsexless, adjectivesexual intercourse, nounsheath, nounshell, nounsibling, nounskeletal, adjectiveskeleton, nounskin, nounskull, nounspasm, nounspasmodic, adjectivespecies, nounspecimen, nounsperm, nounspiderweb, nounspinal cord, nounspine, nounspineless, adjectivestarch, nounstem cell, nounstimulate, verbstimulus, nounstrain, nounsubject, nounsubspecies, nounsucker, nounsucrose, nounsweat, verbsweat, nounsweat gland, nounsymbiosis, nounsystemic, adjectivetail, nountaxonomy, nounteeth, testosterone, nountest-tube baby, nountissue, nountrachea, nountube, noununicellular, adjectiveurethra, nounuric, adjectiveurinate, verburine, nounvariety, nounvector, nounvein, nounvenom, nounvenomous, adjectiveventricle, nounvertebra, nounvertebrate, nounvivisection, nounwarm-blooded, adjectivewean, verbwildlife, nounwindpipe, nounyolk, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY This was true in Madrid and, to a lesser extent, Valencia and Seville.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
This was true in Madrid and, to a lesser extent, Valencia and Seville. (=a bad thing, but not as bad as something else)· She knew that she couldn't leave the children, so she opted for the lesser evil and stayed.
(also to less extent) (=less)· The same is true for women, though to a lesser extent.
(=one that is not as serious as another offence)· For rioting you can receive ten years in prison, while for the lesser offence of violent disorder you can receive five years in prison.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Usually a choice has to be made whether to carry out 100% inspection or some lesser amount on a sampling basis.· Receiving a far lesser amount was another sponsor, Rep.· Skills are being learnt, greater or lesser amounts of efforts are being made by individuals.· Charged approximately 7.50 per hour for the public meeting, and a lesser amount for the exhibition space.
· But magistrates found them guilty on a lesser charge of causing the animal to be terrified.· Often, in panic, the accused will admit to the lesser charge without a trial.· The appeal court, overturning this conviction, found him guilty only on what was described as the lesser charge of genocide.· The others are likely to face lesser charges because they apparently played more limited roles.· Whoever gunned Mahoney while he lay in a hospital bed need have no pipe dreams about Murder Two or other lesser charge.· That deadline may force the department and prosecutors to either file the lesser charges or drop the costly, complex investigation.· He was convicted of the lesser charge by a jury, with the addition that the assault had taken place under provocation.· Originally charged with aggravated battery, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of reckless homicide.
· Tawell would be charged with the lesser crime of possessing a forged bond rather than actually forging it.· Six others were acquitted of genocide and the remaining two were given prison sentences for the lesser crime of negligence of duty.
· That road is coated with tar - the same substance found, to a greater or lesser degree, in cigarettes.· So did some leaders in Mesa, Chandler and Scottsdale, cities that participated to a lesser degree.· Each of these premises can be seen acting to a greater or lesser degree in the siting of any particular settlement.· One can argue that transfer payments involve a lesser degree of government intervention in the economy than do government purchases.· On the contrary they are a natural feature of the human condition, present in everyone to a greater or lesser degree.· Instead, the governments in the Middle East - survive to a greater or lesser degree by simple repression.· What is meant by science in this case is of course the physical sciences and to a lesser degree the biological sciences.
· Here reasoned choice between lesser evils was the course which brought the least ill on humanity.· If it comes to the crunch, going in would seem to me the lesser evil.· In a continent where economic successes are rare, authoritarianism may seem a lesser evil than abject poverty.
· Supplies came from the London Brick Company and to a lesser extent from nearby Stonehouse.· It also applied, to a lesser extent, in Prussia.· Rather, they affect production through their influence on labour quality and, to a lesser extent, labour quantity.· Some techniques were employed to a lesser extent but still provide invaluable comparative results.· With every formal organisation there exists, to a greater or lesser extent, a complex informal organisation.· All societies differentiate and, to a greater or lesser extent, allocate unequal rewards on the basis of age.· Mutuality of feeling may enable acceptance of this in both partners and to a greater or lesser extent usually does.
· These purely doctrinal responses were, however, of lesser importance than one practical implication of Luxemburgism.· A number of measures of lesser importance but worthy of note were passed during Pinay Cuevas' ministership.· A symbol of lesser importance was the cross and its variants such as the star, wheel and swastika.
· Certainly he is a lesser man.· But real life, of course, teaches lesser men to keep their heads down and their mouths shut.· His fitness and determination ensured that he survived a journey on which a lesser man could have been lost without trace.· The superficial similarities might make a lesser man than Mikhail Gorbachev tremble.· It is a political culture in which the strong man dominates a series of lesser men through intimidation and debt.· It was not often that the High King searched me for truth as he was wont to search lesser men.· The men are important, especially the lesser man.· This is certainly true of lesser men at the royal court.
· And together we were emphatically co-operative that neighbouring forces were populated by lesser mortals.· Successful engineering students tended to be contemptuous of the work habits of lesser mortals.· We lesser mortals who had been banished to such places as Wolverton were, however, less fortunate.· Those who are out for good times race but we lesser mortals chat and laugh, banter and encourage.· There are two recently developed areas which are perfect for lesser mortals.· Cook was making fresh cornbread rolls for breakfast and lesser mortals were hard at it with brooms and mops.· We lesser mortals have to be content with the Lesser Detective.· No wonder prime ministers treated him as their equal, and lesser mortals on the political scene regarded him with awe.
· Indecency in public displays is and should remain a separate if lesser offence.· His state of mind will help to determine whether he is guilty of murder or the lesser offence of manslaughter.· Or would it be fairer to convict the harm-doer of a lesser offence, thus ignoring the chance result?· If it results in young Pardy being charged with a lesser offence, Deanes will be highly satisfied.· However, of these, 42 percent. pleaded guilty to a lesser offence such as indecent assault.
· But the great difference here is the lesser role played by registration.· What geophysicists have been lacking is a way to measure the temperature deep down, where radioactive heating plays a lesser role.· Guide books customarily take a lesser role, informing the traveller and listing things to see.· Educational requirements play a lesser role for interviewers placing secretaries, word processing operators, and other clerical personnel.
· Payment of lesser sum Order 11 contains the provisions which apply.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► well-known/little-known/lesser-known
1formal not as large, as important, or as much as something else OPP greater: - At least they chose the lesser of two evils, but even so Tank managed to create havoc.
- Mansfield saw the difficulty in reconciling the two principles, but thought that certainty was the lesser of two evils.
- So people go to the polls convinced their only choice is the lesser of two evils.
- They regarded the ditching of a widely respected Chancellor, in somewhat undignified circumstances, as the lesser of two evils.
- While not particularly welcome, the black knight is considered the lesser of two evils.
- All of us, to a greater or lesser extent, have been doing this all our lives.
- All polite exchanges are conventional to a greater or lesser extent.
- All societies differentiate and, to a greater or lesser extent, allocate unequal rewards on the basis of age.
- Both historians proceed to a greater or lesser extent by way of discussion of great photographers.
- Different professional institutions may define to a greater or lesser extent the modes and their mix.
- In these cases A is to a greater or lesser extent unclear, ambiguous.
- They also, to a greater or lesser extent, existed outside mainstream, predominantly male controlled, hierarchical structures.
- With every formal organisation there exists, to a greater or lesser extent, a complex informal organisation.
- A penchant for setting oneself apart and above mere mortals.
- And together we were emphatically co-operative that neighbouring forces were populated by lesser mortals.
- However, such models of the universe are not of much interest to us ordinary mortals.
- Lords, ladies, dukes and duchesses figure prominently among the names as well as more ordinary mortals of obviously substantial means.
- Miracles can be worked by Him alone, although mere mortals may entreat Him by prayer to perform them on their behalf.
- She held herself raised by her great prosperity above all that ordinary mortals fear and reverence.
- This increased exposure allows them to exploit their advantages over more ordinary mortals more easily than their predecessors could.
They originally asked for $5 million, but finally settled for a lesser sum.to a lesser extent/degree This was true in Madrid and, to a lesser extent, Valencia and Seville. → lesser mortals at mortal2, → to a greater or lesser extent at extent(1)2the lesser of two evils (also the lesser evil) the less unpleasant or harmful of two unpleasant choices3 technical used in the names of some types of animal, bird, or plant that are slightly smaller than the main type—lesser adverb: the lesser-known artists of the period one of Glasgow’s lesser-used venues