significantly lesser extent

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "significantly lesser extent" is not correct in standard English; it should be "significantly lesser extent" or "lesser extent." You can use it when comparing the degree or level of something in relation to another, but it is better to use "to a significantly lesser extent" for clarity.
Example: "The new policy affects employee productivity to a significantly lesser extent than anticipated."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

37 human-written examples

The Ino80 and Ies2 subunits also bind to the H2A-H2B dimer, but to a significantly lesser extent than Arp5.

Nature

All the complexes are inhibiting the growth of other tested common microbial flora to a significantly lesser extent, making them selective towards H37Rv in the preliminary analysis.

Polyhedron

The most significant of these is the Smyd3 locus where intragenic insertions surrounding exons 6 8 are present to a significantly lesser extent in the late-stage lymphomas samples (Supplementary Fig. 11r).

Nature

These vacancies are the result of presidential lassitude in filling the spots and, to a significantly lesser extent, of congressional failure to act on the few nominees that have been sent to the Senate for confirmation.

The Washington Post

Unlike the sweeping social programs of the 1960s, the Obama plan, with its talk of "green jobs" and energy efficiency savings, seems aimed more at a middle class that missed out on the boom than at the nation's poorest, who would benefit to a significantly lesser extent.

The New York Times

Osteoblast culture mineralization was dose-dependently inhibited by pVTK and to a significantly lesser extent by scrambled pVTK, while the nonphosphorylated and scrambled forms had no effect, indicating that inhibition of osteoblast mineralization is dependent on both peptide sequence and charge.

Biomaterials

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

23 human-written examples

Correspondingly, the cis/trans isomerization of the proline bonds affects folding of the EGFP variant to significantly lesser extents than the preferred endo puckering of the (4S -FPro pyrrolidine ring.

Plosone

These three TFs were also significantly, but to a lesser extent, upregulated by sucrose alone.

BMC Genomics

Exposure to soluble metal-free MSH also increased BALF cells significantly but to a lesser extent than PM-HD.

Environmental Health Perspectives

The results for the cultured cells showed that DSR-HSC numbers increased significantly above input (29-fold; p < 0,001) when UG26 cells were present together with SF plus IL-11 and to a slightly, but not significantly (p = 0.19), lesser extent (15-fold) when the UG26 cell conditioned medium (CM) was added instead of the UG26 cells.

Cell Reports

The assembly of soluble Ure2p into protein fibrils was significantly accelerated, although to a lesser extent than in the presence of identical concentrations of fibrillar full-length Ure2p, upon addition of higher Ure2p 1–93 and α-synuclein seed concentrations (Figure S3).

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

For clarity and grammatical correctness, consider using "to a significantly lesser extent" instead of "significantly lesser extent" to improve readability.

Common error

Be mindful of potential redundancy. While "significantly lesser extent" is commonly used, ensure that the context doesn't already imply a significant difference, which would make the "significantly" redundant.

Linguistic Context

The phrase functions as an adverbial modifier, specifying the degree to which an action or state is reduced. As per Ludwig AI, the structure of the phrase is not grammatically correct but is frequently used. This suggests that while common, attention to phrasing may improve clarity.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

75%

News & Media

15%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "significantly lesser extent" is used to describe a noticeable reduction in the degree or impact of something. Although commonly used, Ludwig AI indicates that it is not grammatically correct and suggests using "to a significantly lesser extent" for clarity. Its usage is most prevalent in scientific and news contexts, indicating a neutral to formal register. Remember to consider context to avoid redundancy. Alternative phrases like "substantially smaller degree" or "considerably reduced scope" can provide variety. When writing, it’s crucial to ensure clarity and grammatical correctness, even when using common expressions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

substantially smaller degree

Replaces "extent" with "degree" and "lesser" with "smaller", using a synonym for "significantly".

considerably reduced scope

Uses "scope" instead of "extent" and "reduced" to replace "lesser", altering the noun while keeping the meaning similar.

markedly diminished impact

Substitutes "impact" for "extent" and "diminished" for "lesser", emphasizing the effect is notably reduced.

noticeably lower level

Replaces "extent" with "level" and "lesser" with "lower", indicating a clear and observable decrease.

appreciably smaller magnitude

Uses "magnitude" in place of "extent" and "smaller" for "lesser", focusing on the size or importance of the reduction.

distinctly slighter influence

Changes "extent" to "influence" and "lesser" to "slighter", implying a clearly weaker effect.

materially decreased proportion

Replaces "extent" with "proportion" and "lesser" with "decreased", highlighting a significant reduction in size or amount.

substantially reduced effect

Replaces "extent" with "effect" and "lesser" with "reduced", emphasizing the outcome is greatly diminished.

noticeably weaker presence

Uses "presence" in place of "extent" and "weaker" for "lesser", focusing on the reduced existence or visibility.

markedly lighter degree

Substitutes "degree" for "extent" and "lighter" for "lesser", implying a clearly less intense or severe effect.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "significantly lesser extent" to sound more formal?

For a more formal tone, consider using alternatives such as "to a considerably lesser degree", "to a substantially smaller extent", or "appreciably reduced scope".

Is it grammatically correct to say "significantly lesser extent"?

While commonly used, the phrase "significantly lesser extent" is considered grammatically questionable. It's generally recommended to use "to a significantly lesser extent" or simply "to a "lesser extent"".

What's the difference between "significantly lesser extent" and "much lesser extent"?

Both phrases indicate a reduction in degree, but "significantly lesser extent" emphasizes a more substantial difference than "much lesser extent". "Significantly" implies a statistically or practically important difference.

How to use "significantly lesser extent" in a sentence?

You can use "significantly lesser extent" to compare the degree to which something affects different subjects or situations. For example, "The policy affected small businesses to a significantly lesser extent than large corporations".