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

• almost
• practically
• nearly
• pretty much
• just about
• fairly

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

And one is to just require people to close the gap, which is more or less what that message (Lutke’s message) implied or sent, probably not intentionally. —John Werner, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

There are ways to identify if the plant needs more or less water. —Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 25 June 2025

Charlamagne’s routine has remained more or less the same for his decades-long career in radio: Up at the crack of dawn and live on the airwaves shortly after. —Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025

The news is just the latest indication of how fast the adoption of robotics is playing out — after all, that’s more or less what an autonomous vehicle is. —Zev Fima,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 18 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for more or less

• adulteress
• adventuress
• nevertheless
• abbess
• abscess
• access
• address
• assess
• caress
• confess
• depress
• digress

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