lesser

less|er1 [ `lesər ] adjective only before noun *

1. ) FORMAL smaller, less important, or less serious than something else:

matters of lesser importance

He was flanked by two officers of lesser rank.

lesser charge: She was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

2. ) used in the names of some animals, birds, or plants to show that they are a smaller type

a lesser man/woman/person

someone who is not as good or as moral as someone else:

A lesser man wouldn't have admitted he was wrong.

the lesser of two evils

the less unpleasant or harmful of two possible choices:

He's convinced the voters that he is the lesser of two evils.

to a lesser extent/degree

less strongly or not as much:

She was encouraged by her mother and, to a lesser extent, her father.

lesser

less|er 2 [ `lesər ] adverb

less:

lesser developed countries

one of the lesser known English poets