less than carefully

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "less than carefully" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an action that was performed with insufficient attention or care. Example: "He completed the project less than carefully, resulting in several mistakes that needed to be fixed later."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Formal & Business

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

It is inconceivable that this London-based, Lebanese-born chef, author and all-round food legend would come up with anything less than carefully sourced, exemplary cooking – and here's the giveaway detail: Koshari Street serves the dish as developed by Helou and flavoured with her own secret "doqqa", the unique mix of spices, dried herbs and nuts that can make or break a dish.

The Guardian - Opinion

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Less Than Jake.

WikiHow

Less than 10 carefully chosen companies seems to suit Louis Simpson just fine.

Forbes

Jeffries is no idolator of great reputations, and his treatment of Theodor Adorno, Herbert Marcuse and Jürgen Habermas is refreshingly breezy, though never less than serious and carefully judged.

The Guardian - Books

"Crude caps on bonuses are less likely to be effective than carefully crafted schemes which meet regulatory requirements in terms of addressing arrangements that are otherwise too pregnant with unacceptable risk," he said.

The Guardian - Business

Our results clearly demonstrate that it is indeed feasible to accurately assign individual cattle to a breed of origin, using in most cases less than a few hundred carefully selected SNPs.

Plosone

We performed a case-control study in which 36 patients who developed severe thrombocytopenia of less than 50×10 platelets/l were carefully matched for the severity of underlying disease and other important variables.

Critical Care

In all the years that Seti has been running, it has managed to look carefully at less than 1,000 star systems.

The Guardian

Numerical simulation results show that the effect of steady flow is very significant for the backward traveling waves, and the assumption of a parabolic velocity profile for shear wave numbers less than four should be used carefully when the flow Mach number is greater than 0·1.

Journal of Sound and Vibration

We also recognise that the impact of the interventions will be lower if the biological effect of circumcision is less than was found in the carefully conducted and well managed trials [19], [20], [21].

Plosone

Trunks of hairy skin with less than 20 hair follicles were carefully examined under dissection microscope to record the types and positions of hair follicles.

eLife

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "less than carefully", consider the context to ensure it accurately conveys the intended degree of carelessness. It often implies a noticeable deficiency in attention to detail, rather than a complete lack of care.

Common error

Avoid using "less than carefully" when the action was completely negligent. The phrase suggests a degree of care was attempted, but fell short. For complete negligence, consider alternatives like "negligently" or "carelessly".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "less than carefully" functions as an adverbial modifier, describing the manner in which an action is performed. It indicates a deficiency in the level of care or attention given to a particular task or process, as also underlined by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

23%

Science

23%

Wiki

12%

Less common in

Formal & Business

8%

Encyclopedias

4%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "less than carefully" describes actions performed with insufficient attention to detail. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability. Though not extremely common, it appears across various contexts, including News & Media and scientific publications. Consider the subtle difference between "less than carefully" and alternatives like "carelessly"; the former implies some attempt at care, albeit deficient, whereas the latter suggests a complete absence of it. Use "less than carefully" when precision matters but total negligence isn't the case.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

somewhat carelessly

Emphasizes a degree of carelessness, implying a lack of attention to detail.

rather sloppily

Highlights the untidy or negligent manner in which something was done.

not meticulously

Focuses on the absence of thoroughness and precision.

without due diligence

Stresses the failure to exercise the necessary care and attention.

in a slipshod manner

Indicates a lack of care and attention, resulting in poor quality.

with insufficient attention

Points out the lack of adequate focus and care.

performed hastily

Highlights the rushed nature of the action, implying a lack of thoroughness.

done cursorily

Suggests a superficial and hurried approach.

executed negligently

Emphasizes a failure to exercise the expected level of care.

with a lack of precision

Highlights the absence of accuracy and exactness.

FAQs

How can I use "less than carefully" in a sentence?

You can use "less than carefully" to describe an action that was performed with insufficient attention or precision. For example, "The report was prepared "less than carefully", resulting in several inaccuracies".

What are some alternatives to "less than carefully"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives such as "carelessly", "sloppily", or "negligently". Each of these words conveys a similar meaning but with slightly different nuances.

Is it better to use "less carefully than" or "less than carefully"?

"Less carefully than" and "less than carefully" have distinct meanings. "Less carefully than" is used for comparisons, as in "He performed the task "less carefully than" his colleague". "Less than carefully" describes an action performed with a lack of care.

When is it appropriate to use "less than carefully" instead of "carelessly"?

Use "less than carefully" when you want to emphasize that some degree of care was attempted, but the result was still deficient. "Carelessly" implies a complete lack of attention, while "less than carefully" suggests a lower standard of diligence was applied.