much less

conjunction

Let alone; to say nothing of, not to mention.

“He's at the bar much less often than his mother lately.”

Similar
never mind
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Meanings

conjunction
  1. idiomaticLet alone; to say nothing of, not to mention.

    You wouldn't want a dog running around the house, much less a monkey!

    4 more examples

    Of the thing that sustains him through trials man has no inkling, much less knowledge, at the time.

    1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xxi

    Why, not even a little bird or a tiny butterfly comes here, much less a human being!

    1919, Parker Hoysted Fillmore, The Three Citrons

    1895. M.K. Gandhi, Petition to Natal Legislative Assembly It is hopeless for him to return to India and expect to earn bread, much less to make a fortune.

    We had not at Chattanooga animals to pull a single piece of artillery, much less a supply train.

    1886, Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant

    Synonyms: never mind

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see much, less.

    He's at the bar much less often than his mother lately.

Synonyms & antonyms

conjunctionLet alone; to say nothing of, not to mention.

Similar
never mind
Also see
to say nothing of

Translations

Arabic نَاهِيكَ عَن
  • نَاهِيكَ عَن (nāhīka ʕan)let alone
Chinese Mandarin 更不用說 /更不用说, 何況 /何况
  • 更不用說 /更不用说 (gèng bùyòng shuō)let alone
  • 何況 /何况 (hékuàng)let alone
Finnish vielä vähemmän
  • vielä vähemmänlet alone
French encore moins
  • encore moinslet alone
Hungarian nemhogy
  • nemhogylet alone
Italian meno che meno
  • meno che menolet alone
Japanese 況してや
  • 況してや (mashiteya)let alone
Polish nie mówiąc już o, a co dopiero
  • nie mówiąc już olet alone
  • a co dopierolet alone
  • a tym bardziejlet alone
Romanian nemai vorbind
  • nemai vorbindlet alone
Scottish Gaelic gun luaidh
  • gun luaidhlet alone
Swedish än mindre
  • än mindrelet alone
Cite this entry
APA

much less. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/much%20less

MLA

“much less.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/much%20less. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “much less,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/much%20less.

Source: much less on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.