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 of more or less

• 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

But the timeline for deciding the case now looks more or less typical and could reflect the normal back-and-forth that occurs not just in the biggest cases but in almost all the disputes the justices hear. —Mark Sherman, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026

Davies more or less browbeat her into terminating the pregnancy, and dropped out of college. —Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects. —Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

To my surprise, these moments of simple and more or less self-less consciousness did not occur when my eyes were closed—in fact, the darkness sent me zooming off to all kinds of strange places. —Michael Pollan, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026

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