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much less

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less

  [les]
Use much less in a Sentence
–adverb, a compar. of little with least as superl.
1. to a smaller extent, amount, or degree: less exact.
2. most certainly not (often prec. by much or still): He could barely pay for his own lodging, much less for that of his friend.
3. in any way different; other: He is nothing less than a thief.
–adjective, a compar. of little with least as superl.
4. smaller in size, amount, degree, etc.; not so large, great, or much: less money; less speed.
5. lower in consideration, rank, or importance: no less a person than the manager.
6. fewer: less than a dozen.
–noun
7. a smaller amount or quantity: Hundreds of soldiers arrived, but less of them remained.
8. something inferior or not as important: He was tortured for less.
–preposition
9. minus; without: a year less two days; six dollars less tax.
—Idiom
10. less than, by far short of being; not in the least; hardly at all: The job is less than perfect.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE lǣs (adv.), lǣssa (adj.); c. OFris lês (adv.), lêssa (adj.). See least

Synonyms:
4. See small.

Usage note:
Even though less has been used before plural nouns (less words; less men) since the time of King Alfred, many modern usage guides say that only fewer can be used in such contexts. Less, they say, should modify singular mass nouns (less sugar; less money) and singular abstract nouns (less honesty; less love). It should modify plural nouns only when they suggest combination into a unit, group, or aggregation: less than $50 (a sum of money); less than three miles (a unit of distance). With plural nouns specifying individuals or readily distinguishable units, the guides say that fewer is the only proper choice: fewer words; fewer men; no fewer than 31 of the 50 states.
Modern standard English practice does not reflect this distinction. When followed by than, less occurs at least as often as fewer in modifying plural nouns that are not units or groups, and the use of less in this construction is increasing in all varieties of English: less than eight million people; no less than 31 of the 50 states. When not followed by than, fewer is more frequent only in formal written English, and in this construction also the use of less is increasing: This year we have had less crimes, less accidents, and less fires than in any of the last five years.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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less   (lěs)   
adj.   A comparative of little.

  1. Not as great in amount or quantity: had less time to spend with the family.

  2. Lower in importance, esteem, or rank: no less a person than the ambassador.

  3. Consisting of a smaller number. See Usage Note at few.

prep.  With the deduction of; minus: Five less two is three.
adv.   Comparative of little.
To a smaller extent, degree, or frequency: less happy; less expensive.
n.  

  1. A smaller amount: She received less than she asked for.

  2. Something not as important as something else: People have been punished for less.


[Middle English lesse, from Old English lǣssa (adj.) and lǣs (adv.); see leis-2 in Indo-European roots.]
much less  
conj.  And certainly not: "Happiness is an emotion not often spoken of at the magazine, much less experienced" (Brendan Gill).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

less 
O.E. læs (adv.), læssa (adj.), comp. of læs "small;" from P.Gmc. *laisiz "smaller," from PIE base *loiso- "small" (cf. Lith. liesas "thin"). Formerly also "younger," as a transl. of L. minor, a sense now obs. except in James the Less. Used as a comparative of little, but not related to it. Lesser (1459) is a double comparative, "a barbarous corruption of less, formed by the vulgar from the habit of terminating comparatives in -er." [Johnson]. Lessen "to become less" first attested c.1300.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

much less

And certainly not, as in He rarely talks about his outside activities, much less his family. The earliest record of this idiom is in John Milton's Paradise Lost (1671): "The world thou hast not seen, much less her glory."

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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