more or less

adverb

1

: to a varying or undetermined extent or degree : somewhat

they were more or less willing to help

2

: with small variations : approximately

contains 16 acres more or less

Synonyms

• about
• all but
• almost
• borderline
• fair [chiefly British]
• fairly
• feckly [chiefly Scottish]
• most
• much
• near
• nearly
• next to
• nigh
• practically
• somewhere
• virtually
• well-nigh

Examples of more or less in a Sentence

the lot is 16 acres more or less

most couples in the survey said that they were more or less happy in their marriage

Recent Examples on the Web

Now that prices have more or less leveled off, the U.S. Department of Energy is slowly replacing the stockpile, recently buying 3 million barrels to add to the supply. —Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 6 June 2024

For city dwellers, the quality of the park system can literally make a city more or less livable. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2024

And nobody wants to be seen with one another, more or less doing things together. —CBS News, 26 May 2024

The Indy 500, run on the same day and more or less at the same time, was. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

more or less

adverb

1

: to a varying or uncertain degree : somewhat

they were more or less willing to help

2

: with small variations : approximately

contains 16 acres more or less