less
determiner, pronoun OPAL WOPAL S
/les/
/les/
Idioms - used with uncountable nouns to mean ‘a smaller amount of’
(与不可数名词连用)较少的,更少的 - less something less butter/time/importance
较少的黄油/时间;次要 - He was advised to smoke fewer cigarettes and drink less beer.
有人劝他少抽烟、少喝啤酒。 - less to do We have less to worry about now.
现在我们要担忧的事少一些了。 - less of something They say we should exercise and eat less of some kinds of fat.
他们说我们应该锻炼,少吃一些脂肪。 - less than… We'll be there in less than no time (= very soon).
我们马上就到。 - The victory was nothing less than a miracle.
这场胜利是个不折不扣的奇迹。 - less of something than… It is less of a problem than I'd expected.
问题不像我预料的那么大。
词源Old English lǣssa, of Germanic origin; related to Old Frisian lēssa, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek loisthos ‘last’. - less something less butter/time/importance
Idioms
less and less
- smaller and smaller amounts; at a rate that is decreasing
越来越少 - As time passed, she saw less and less of all her old friends at home.
随着时间的消逝,她越来越见不到家乡那些老朋友了。 - There used to be TV shows that everyone would watch at the same time and talk about the next day, but that happens less and less.
以前有电视节目大家会同时看,第二天再聊,但是那种情况越来越少了。
- As time passed, she saw less and less of all her old friends at home.
less is more
- (saying) including only what is essential can create a more effective product or result
少即是多;以少见多;简单就是美 - His simple, elegant paintings reflect his principle that less is more.
他简洁典雅的绘画体现出他简约就是美的原则。
- His simple, elegant paintings reflect his principle that less is more.
no less
- (often ironic) used to suggest that something is surprising or impressive
(表示惊讶或钦佩)竟,居然 - She's having lunch with the Director, no less.
她居然正在与主管一起进午餐。
- She's having lunch with the Director, no less.
no less than…
- used to emphasize a large amount
(强调大数量)不少于,多达 - The guide contains details of no less than 115 hiking routes.
这本旅游指南包括多达 115 条徒步旅行路线的详细介绍。
- The guide contains details of no less than 115 hiking routes.