sum lower than

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "sum lower than" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when comparing a total or aggregate amount to a specified value, indicating that the total is less than that value. Example: "The total expenses for the project resulted in a sum lower than the initial budget estimate."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

His success in righting a listing institution whose endowment had been drawn down before his arrival to a sum lower than the price of a single Jeff Koons sculpture seldom comes up anymore in conversation.

The New York Times

The buys from SummerSlam helped the promotion's revenue, which was $18.8 million, a sum lower than the prior year of $19.7 million.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Pensioners struggle to get by on sums lower than the World Bank's poverty standard.

The Economist

Liverpool's £14.3m spend was the highest in the two windows of this year ahead of United's, and Manchester City's £12.4m, though this latter sum was lower than the £12.8m paid to agents by Sheikh Mansour's club in 2014.

The Guardian - Sport

Although he has three years left on his deal, the club are prepared to negotiate a sum much lower than Mourinho's €12m (£10.2m) a year salary, such is the desire on both sides to part ways next month.

Independent

If the current sum is lower than the previous, a new disparity value is assigned to that point.

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

The FIC50 sums were lower than 1.7 for both ethanolamine and serine.

British Journal of Pharmacology

In the OGTT, the mean AUC of the exenatide-treated mice (n = 18) was significantly (P < 0.001, Mann Whitney rank-sum test) lower than that of the placebo-treated mice (n = 17).

Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy

In the ITT, the mean AUC of the exenatide-treated mice (n = 9) was also significantly (P = 0.006, Mann Whitney rank-sum test) lower than that of the placebo-treated mice (n = 13).

Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy

*The row total is lower than sum of the individual column totals because a proportion of these SNPs were from multiple categories (e.g. discovered in both the RR and RAD experiments); see Additional file 1: Table S1.

BMC Genomics

If one village has a final utility sum that is lower than the initial total utility value, then the product of utility gain is negative.

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When comparing financial data or statistical results, use "sum lower than" to clearly indicate that an aggregate value is less than a particular benchmark or target. This phrase is effective in analytical reports and presentations.

Common error

Avoid using "sum lower than" when not referring to a quantifiable amount or total. For example, it's incorrect to say "The team's morale was a sum lower than expected." Instead, use phrases like "lower than", "less than", or "below" to maintain clarity and accuracy.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sum lower than" functions as a comparative adjective phrase. It quantifies a specific amount or "sum" in relation to another value, indicating that the "sum" is less. As confirmed by Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "sum lower than" is a grammatically sound comparative phrase used to indicate that a total amount is less than a specified value. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is a correct and usable phrase. While not exceedingly common, with only a few examples found, it is employed in both news and scientific contexts. To enhance clarity, it's best practice to reserve this phrase for situations involving numerical data, avoiding its misuse in non-quantifiable contexts. For alternative phrasings, consider options such as "total less than" or "aggregate is below" depending on the desired level of formality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

total is less than

This alternative directly replaces "sum" with "total" and rearranges the sentence structure slightly, maintaining the same comparative meaning.

aggregate is below

Using "aggregate" in place of "sum" adds a slightly more formal tone, and "below" is used instead of "lower than" for comparison.

amount is smaller than

This option replaces "sum" with "amount" and uses "smaller than" as a direct synonym for "lower than".

figure is inferior to

"Figure" replaces "sum" and "inferior to" is used for a more formal comparison.

the quantity is under

This substitutes "sum" with "quantity" and uses "under" to convey that the amount is less than a specific value.

value does not exceed

This alternative uses a double negative to express that the value is not greater than, which implies it is less than or equal to, slightly changing the original meaning.

falls short of

This is an idiomatic expression that implies the sum did not reach a specific value.

is less as a whole than

This breaks down the sentence structure, emphasizing the overall amount in comparison, but it retains the same underlying meaning.

the grand total is underneath

Here, 'grand total' replaces 'sum,' while 'underneath' functions similarly to 'lower than,' but is less common.

the culmination comes in under

This alternative is more verbose and substitutes 'sum' with 'culmination' to indicate the end value is less than a specified point.

FAQs

How can I use "sum lower than" in a sentence?

The phrase "sum lower than" is typically used to compare a total amount to another value. For instance, "The final cost was a sum lower than the initial estimate."

What is a simple substitute for "sum lower than"?

A straightforward substitute for "sum lower than" is "total less than". It maintains the same comparative meaning in most contexts.

When is it appropriate to use "sum lower than"?

Use "sum lower than" when you want to specifically emphasize that a final amount or total is less than another amount. It is especially useful in financial or statistical discussions.

Is there a more formal alternative to "sum lower than"?

Yes, a more formal alternative is "aggregate is below". This option is suitable for academic papers or business reports where a higher level of formality is needed.