more or less

adverb

Synonyms of more or lessnext
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While other managers have more or less accepted the situation when Madrid’s leaders have ruled out signings, Mourinho has never been known for staying silent to protect his position. Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 29 May 2026 Crichton goes to a lot of effort to give plausible explanation to the harvesting and recombination of dinosaur DNA, and the mistakes that the involved human beings make are ones of ego, greed, and—more or less—neglecting to double-check their homework before turning it in. Ian MacKenzie, Literary Hub, 27 May 2026 The shortcomings of that approach were apparent under the Biden administration, which took pride in more or less banishing economists from economic policy-making positions. Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 May 2026 However these numbers are more or less holding steady or, in the case of Russia, slowly declining as stages fall out of orbit. Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for more or less

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of more or less was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“More or less.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/more%20or%20less. Accessed 31 May. 2026.

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
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