Lesser vs. Lower — What's the Difference?

Inferior in importance or significance.

Situated below something else.

Smaller in amount or degree.

Reduced in height, depth, or intensity.

Used to denote a reduced or lesser condition.

Ranking beneath in scale, importance, or status.

Secondary or subordinate.

Bringing down to a smaller number, size, or degree.

Not as great or important.

Decreasing in value or amount.

Lesser, from Eliezer (Hebrew: אֱלִיעֶזֶר‎, Modern: Eli'ezer, Tiberian: ʼĔlîʻézer, "Help/Court of my God"), is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Adolf Lesser (1851–1926), German physician Aleksander Lesser (1814–1884), Polish painter and art critic Anton Lesser (born 1952), British actor Axel Lesser (born 1946), East German cross country skier Edmund Lesser (1852–1918), German dermatologist Erik Lesser (born 1988), German biathlete Gabriele Lesser (born 1960), German historian and journalist George Lesser, American musician Gerald S. Lesser (1926–2010), American psychologist Henry Lesser (born 1963), German footballer J Lesser (born 1970), American musician Len Lesser (1922–2011), American actor Louis Lesser (born 1916), American real estate developer Matt Lesser, Connecticut politician Mike Lesser (born 1943), British mathematical philosopher and political activist Milton Lesser or Stephen Marlowe (1928–2008), American author Norman Lesser (1902–1985), Anglican bishop and Archbishop of New Zealand Otto Lesser (1830–1887), German astronomer Rika Lesser (born 1953), American poet Robert Lesser (born 1942), American actor Rosa Lesser, Austrian luger Ryan Lesser, Rhode Island video game designer Sam Lesser or Sam Russell (1915–2010), British journalist and Spanish Civil War veteran Sol Lesser (1890–1980), American film producer Stephen A. Lesser (born 1944), American architect Virginia Lesser, American statistician Wendy Lesser (born 1952), American author, editor and critic Werner Lesser (1932–2005), East German ski jumperLesser is also a given name.

To look angry, sullen, or threatening.

Smaller in amount, value, or importance, especially in a comparison between two things

To appear dark or stormy, as the sky.

Of a smaller size than other, similar forms

To let, bring, or move down to a lower level.

Less. Used before a participle

To reduce in value, degree, or quality.

One that is lower in importance, rank, magnitude, or degree

To weaken; undermine

Of two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the smaller in size (littler), in value, in importance etc.

To reduce in standing or respect.

A thing that is of smaller size, value, importance etc.

To move down

Less; smaller; inferior.

To become less; diminish

Less.

A threatening, sullen, or angry look.

Of less size or importance;

A dark or stormy appearance

Smaller in size or amount or value;

Having little relative height; not high or tall

Rising only slightly above surrounding surfaces

Near to the ground or the horizon

Situated or placed below normal height

Situated below the surrounding surfaces

Of less than usual or average depth; shallow

Cut to show the wearer's neck and chest; décolleté

Close or closer to a reference point

(Linguistics) Produced with part or all of the tongue depressed, as a, pronounced (ä), in father. Used of vowels.

Below average in degree, intensity, or amount

Below an average or a standard

Ranked near the beginning of an ascending series or scale

Relating to or being latitudes nearest to the equator.

Relatively small. Used of a cost, price, or other value

Not loud; soft

Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively small number of sound-wave cycles per second.

Below others in status or rank; lowly

Violating standards of morality or decency; base

Below another in rank, position, or authority.

Physically situated below a similar or comparable thing

Lower Geology & Archaeology Relating to or being an earlier or older division of the period named.

(Biology) Less complex in organization or having traits similar to those of organisms that evolved earlier in the history of life on Earth.

Denoting the larger and usually more representative house of a bicameral legislature.

Bottom; more towards the bottom than the middle of an object

Situated on lower ground, nearer a coast, or more southerly.

Older

(transitive) To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down

(transitive) to pull down

(transitive) To reduce the height of

(transitive) To depress as to direction

(transitive) To make less elevated

(transitive) To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of

(transitive) To bring down; to humble

(reflexive) (lower oneself) To humble oneself; to do something one considers to be beneath one's dignity.

(transitive) To reduce (something) in value, amount, etc.

(intransitive) To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease

(intransitive) To decrease in value, amount, etc.

To reduce operations to single machine instructions, as part of compilation of a program.

Alternative spelling of lour

To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down; as, to lower a bucket into a well; to lower a sail or a boat; sometimes, to pull down; as, to lower a flag.

To reduce the height of; as, to lower a fence or wall; to lower a chimney or turret.

To depress as to direction; as, to lower the aim of a gun; to make less elevated as to object; as, to lower one's ambition, aspirations, or hopes.

To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of; as, to lower the temperature of anything; to lower one's vitality; to lower distilled liquors.

To bring down; to humble; as, to lower one's pride.

To reduce in value, amount, etc.; as, to lower the price of goods, the rate of interest, etc.

To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease; as, the river lowered as rapidly as it rose.

To be dark, gloomy, and threatening, as clouds; to be covered with dark and threatening clouds, as the sky; to show threatening signs of approach, as a tempest.

To frown; to look sullen.

Cloudiness; gloominess.

A frowning; sullenness.

The lower of two berths

Move something or somebody to a lower position;

Set lower;

Cause to drop or sink;

Make lower or quieter;

Look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval

(usually preceded by `no') lower in esteem;

Inferior in rank or status;

The bottom one of two;

Of the underworld;

Lesser is often found in fixed expressions or idioms, denoting subtlety or qualitative difference, unlike lower, which is used more literally and broadly.

Yes, lesser is often used in formal or legal contexts to denote a lower degree of severity or importance.

Lower indicates something that is physically beneath or reduced compared to something else.

No, lesser does not typically refer to physical positions; it is used more abstractly.

No, they generally cannot be interchanged as lesser applies to abstract qualities and lower to physical or more concrete attributes.

In hierarchical terms, lower is used to indicate a lower position or status, either physically or in terms of rank.

Lower is used to denote a decrease in temperature, such as "lower the temperature."

Yes, lower can describe a reduction in quality, such as "lower quality."

Lesser is typically used in abstract or qualitative contexts, while lower is used for physical or quantitative comparisons.

Lesser is used in legal terms like "lesser charge" or "lesser sentence," indicating a reduced level of culpability or punishment.