much less than

USAGE SUMMARY

'much less than' is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used as a comparison phrase to explain that something is far less than something else. For example, "The average person eats much less ice cream than people think."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

"Well, much less than the paintings".

The New York Times

This is much less than at Chernobyl.

The Economist

Actually, it's much less than that.

The New York Times

Now they have much less than half.

The New York Times

But much less than pairs of electrons.

Yale University

We know much less than we think.

Stanford University

It's much, much less than that.

The Guardian

"But it's much less than the Libyans.

The Guardian

(Surely, it's much less than 10%).

The Guardian

Shoppers here haggle much less than before.

The New York Times

Much less than five years ago.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "much less than" when you want to emphasize a significant difference in quantity, size, or degree between two things.

Common error

Remember that "less" is for uncountable nouns (e.g., "much less water than") while "fewer" is for countable nouns (e.g., "much fewer apples than"). Using 'less' with countable nouns is a common mistake.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "much less than" primarily functions as a comparative adjective phrase. It is used to quantify the difference between two entities, emphasizing that one is significantly smaller or of a lower degree than the other. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

53%

Science

23%

Formal & Business

9%

Less common in

Academia

8%

Wiki

7%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "much less than" is a versatile comparative phrase indicating a considerable difference in quantity or degree. It’s grammatically sound and frequently used across diverse contexts, as validated by Ludwig. When using this phrase, remember to use 'fewer' for countable nouns and 'less' for uncountable nouns. The most frequent usage contexts are news and media, science and formal business. With an expert rating of 4.6, this phrase is considered highly reliable for effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

noticeably less than

Suggests that the difference is easily observed.

substantially lower than

Focuses on a significant reduction in a measured value.

significantly smaller than

Emphasizes a notable difference in size or quantity.

considerably fewer than

Highlights a substantial disparity in number.

appreciably smaller than

Implies a difference that is large enough to be important or significant.

well under

Suggests a value or amount is comfortably below a certain threshold.

markedly diminished compared to

Indicates a clear and noticeable decrease.

far below

Indicates something is much lower, in a figurative sense.

a fraction of

Implies that something is only a small part of something else.

nowhere near as much as

Emphasizes that something is far from reaching a certain level or amount.

FAQs

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

Use "much less than" to compare two things, emphasizing that one is significantly smaller or of a lower degree than the other. For instance, "He spends "much less time" on his phone now than he used to."

What alternatives can I use instead of "much less than"?

You can use phrases like "significantly smaller than", "considerably fewer than", or "substantially lower than" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "much less than" or should it be "many less than"?

"Much less than" is generally correct for both countable and uncountable nouns, although "many fewer than" is more precise for countable nouns. "Many less than" is not standard usage.

What's the difference between "much less than" and "slightly less than"?

"Much less than" indicates a significant difference, whereas "slightly less than" suggests a minor or negligible difference.