More Or Less

Pronunciation: /mɔːr ɔr lɛs/

Definitions of more or less

adverb to a small extent; somewhat

Example Sentences

A1 I am more or less finished with my homework.

A2 She was more or less satisfied with the outcome of the project.

B1 The meeting will start in more or less 10 minutes.

B2 The new policy has been implemented, more or less successfully.

C1 The research findings were more or less consistent with previous studies.

C2 The artist's latest exhibition was more or less a masterpiece.

conjunction used to indicate that a statement is only approximately accurate or valid

Example Sentences

A1 I am more or less finished with my homework.

A2 The movie was more or less what I expected.

B1 The project is more or less on schedule.

B2 The results were more or less as predicted.

C1 Her performance was more or less flawless.

C2 The negotiations were more or less successful.

Examples of more or less in a Sentence

formal The project is expected to be completed in six months, give or take a few weeks, more or less.

informal I think there were more or less 50 people at the party last night.

slang She's more or less obsessed with that new TV show.

figurative His explanation was more or less like trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded.

Grammatical Forms of more or less

• past tense: more or lessed
• plural: more or lesses
• comparative: more or lesser
• superlative: most or least
• present tense: more or less
• future tense: will more or less
• perfect tense: have more or lessed
• continuous tense: is more or lessing
• singular: more or less
• positive degree: more or less
• infinitive: to more or less
• gerund: more or lessing
• participle: more or lessed

Origin and Evolution of more or less

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Middle English

Story behind the word: The phrase 'more or less' originated from Middle English, where 'more' and 'less' were used in combination to indicate an approximation.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'more or less' has become a common English idiom used to signify an approximation or rough estimate, evolving from its literal meaning of 'somewhat more' or 'somewhat less'.