Less population

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Less population" is not correct in standard written English.
It is typically used to refer to a smaller number of people in a specific area, but the more appropriate term would be "lower population." Example: "The city has seen a decline in its economy, resulting in less population over the past decade."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

27 human-written examples

Less population structure is seen in Myrsidea, where a few haplotypes are shared between Isabela and Marchena, Santa Fé and Santa Cruz, Santiago and Rábida, and one haplotype was shared between Champion and Santa Fé.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Development policy that assumes that less population equals more development is flawed since it excludes an economy of its most valuable resources, human capital.

The New York Times

New York City lost less population to other states in the 12 months ending July 1 , 2008 than during any year in decades, according to census figures released Thursday.

The New York Times

Orange City, the county seat of Sioux County, Iowa, is a square mile and a half of town, more or less, population six thousand, surrounded by fields in every direction.

The New Yorker

It is essentially areas with vegetation, cropland, less population density, good drainage system, industrial area and high residence area.

Geoenvironmental Disasters

In the case of trails, however, the further the ants were located from the trails, the less population tended to be observed.

Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

32 human-written examples

In other countries, samples were to varying degrees less population-based.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

More recent but less population-based was the sample of 71,588 patients interviewed by 902 general practitioners (GPs) [32].

The Journal of Headache and Pain

However, there are less population-based data describing the pattern of hospitalisation among children with ID or ASD.

BMJ Open

The parameter-less population pyramid (P3) is a recent evolutionary computation algorithm proposed for black box optimization.

Expert Systems with Applications

"The city certainly would like to increase its percentage of homeowners and establish a less transient population," he said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing population size, use more grammatically correct alternatives such as "smaller population", "reduced population", or "lower population density" for clearer communication.

Common error

Avoid using "less" to describe the number of people. "Less" is typically used with uncountable nouns. Use "fewer" when referring to countable entities such as people. A more appropriate construction is "fewer people" or "smaller population".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "Less population" functions primarily as a noun phrase intended to describe a quantity or size related to a group of people. However, as noted by Ludwig AI, the construction isn't grammatically correct in standard English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

52%

News & Media

39%

Wiki

3%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "Less population" appears in various contexts, particularly scientific and news-related ones, it's considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI analysis suggests that more appropriate alternatives include "smaller population", "reduced population", or "lower population density". These options provide clearer and more accurate ways to express the intended meaning. Given the potential for misinterpretation and the availability of better alternatives, it's advisable to avoid using "Less population" in formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Smaller population size

Replaces "less" with "smaller" and adds "size" for greater precision and grammatical correctness.

Reduced population

Uses "reduced" to indicate a decrease in population, which is grammatically sound and clear.

Lower population density

Focuses on the density rather than the total number, implying fewer people per unit area.

Declining population

Emphasizes the trend of population decreasing over time.

Fewer inhabitants

Substitutes "population" with "inhabitants" and uses "fewer" for countability.

Sparse population

Highlights the scattered distribution of people rather than the total number.

Shrinking population

Implies a population that is actively getting smaller.

Depopulation

Indicates a significant reduction in the population of an area.

Diminished population

Uses "diminished" to describe a reduction in size or importance.

Underpopulated area

Describes a region with too few people relative to its size or resources.

FAQs

What is a more grammatically correct way to say "Less population"?

More grammatically sound alternatives to "Less population" include "smaller population", "reduced population", or "lower population density".

When is it appropriate to use "Less population"?

While the phrase "Less population" is used, it's often perceived as grammatically awkward. It's better to opt for more precise and grammatically correct phrases like "smaller population size" or "fewer inhabitants".

What does "Less population" mean?

The phrase "Less population" generally refers to a smaller number of people living in a particular area. However, it's not considered standard English; using "smaller population" is clearer and more accurate.

How does population density relate to "Less population"?

Population density describes the number of people per unit area. "Less population" implies a lower population density, meaning there are fewer people in a given space.