much less

conjunction

: not to mention

—used especially in negative contexts to add to one item another denoting something less likely

He had trouble paying for a car, much less a high-definition TV.

And so it appears that he is never going to get out of the eighth grade, much less ever make it to college.

—Thomas Meehan

Synonyms

• let alone
• never mind
• still less

Examples of much less in a Sentence

after spraining his ankle, the gymnast hadn't been expected to appear in today's event, much less win it

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above