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

Visiting Istanbul 25 years ago, oenophiles were more or less limited to a single wine available at restaurants: a red produced by Kavaklidere. —Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2024

Their stock prices had more or less flatlined for at least a decade. —Bygeoff Colvin, Fortune, 20 Apr. 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