"less is more" meaning in English

See less is more in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proverb

IPA: /lɛs ɪz ˈmɔː/ [Received-Pronunciation], /lɛs ɪz ˈmɔɹ/ [General-American]
Head templates: {{head|en|proverb|head=}} less is more, {{en-proverb}} less is more
  1. (paradox, oxymoron) That which is of smaller quantity could be of higher quality.
    Sense id: en-less_is_more-en-proverb-Zu1CMFHU Categories (other): English proverbs Disambiguation of English proverbs: 51 49
  2. That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity. Synonyms: a little goes a long way (english: some contexts) Translations (less is more): οὐκ ἐν τῷ πολλῷ τὸ εὖ (ouk en tôi pollôi tò eû) (Ancient Greek), الْأَقَلّ هُوَ الْأَكْثَر (al-ʔaqall huwa l-ʔakṯar) [masculine] (Arabic), الْقُلَّى هِيَ الْكُثْرَى (al-qullā hiya l-kuṯrā) [feminine] (Arabic), 少即是多 (shǎojíshìduō) (Chinese Mandarin), 物以稀为贵 (wùyǐxīwéiguì) (Chinese Mandarin), méně je více (Czech), minder is meer (Dutch), vähemmän on enemmän (Finnish), moins, c’est plus (French), weniger ist mehr (German), ουκ εν τω πολλώ το ευ (ouk en to polló to ef) (Greek), 적은 것이 더 많다 (jeogeun geosi deo manta) (Korean), هرچه کمتربهتر (Persian), mniej znaczy więcej (Polish), menos é mais (Portuguese), less is more (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-less_is_more-en-proverb-eYoF5YVq Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English oxymorons, English proverbs, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 18 82 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 23 77 Disambiguation of English oxymorons: 23 77 Disambiguation of English proverbs: 51 49 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 25 75 Disambiguation of 'less is more': 10 90

Download JSON data for less is more meaning in English (5.3kB)

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "less is a bore"
    },
    {
      "word": "more is more"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "less is more",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "less is more",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "That which is of smaller quantity could be of higher quality."
      ],
      "id": "en-less_is_more-en-proverb-Zu1CMFHU",
      "qualifier": "paradox",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(paradox, oxymoron) That which is of smaller quantity could be of higher quality."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "18 82",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English oxymorons",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "25 75",
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          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1855, Robert Browning, \"Andrea del Sarto\" poem in Men and Women collection",
          "text": "Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1954 June 14, “‘Less Is More’”, in Time",
          "text": "The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, \"Less is more.\" This means, he says, having \"the greatest effect with the least means.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 March 3, Gia Kourlas, “Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness”, in New York Times, retrieved 2008-10-22",
          "text": "The program, which features two premieres—\"Songs,\" a solo, and \"The Pleasure of Stillness,\" a quartet—is founded on the notion that less is more.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity."
      ],
      "id": "en-less_is_more-en-proverb-eYoF5YVq",
      "links": [
        [
          "complicated",
          "complicated"
        ],
        [
          "understood",
          "understood"
        ],
        [
          "appreciated",
          "appreciated"
        ],
        [
          "brevity",
          "brevity"
        ],
        [
          "communication",
          "communication"
        ],
        [
          "verbosity",
          "verbosity"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "english": "some contexts",
          "word": "a little goes a long way"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "al-ʔaqall huwa l-ʔakṯar",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "الْأَقَلّ هُوَ الْأَكْثَر"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "al-qullā hiya l-kuṯrā",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "الْقُلَّى هِيَ الْكُثْرَى"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "shǎojíshìduō",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "少即是多"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "wùyǐxīwéiguì",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "物以稀为贵"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "méně je více"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "minder is meer"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "vähemmän on enemmän"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "moins, c’est plus"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "weniger ist mehr"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "ouk en to polló to ef",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "ουκ εν τω πολλώ το ευ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "grc",
          "lang": "Ancient Greek",
          "roman": "ouk en tôi pollôi tò eû",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "οὐκ ἐν τῷ πολλῷ τὸ εὖ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "jeogeun geosi deo manta",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "적은 것이 더 많다"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "هرچه کمتربهتر"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "mniej znaczy więcej"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "menos é mais"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "note": "is fheàrr an teine beag a gharas na an teine mòr a loisgeas",
          "sense": "less is more"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "less is more",
          "word": "less is more"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "10 90",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "note": "mindre är mer (literally, but more common as an untranslated loan)",
          "sense": "less is more"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/lɛs ɪz ˈmɔː/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/lɛs ɪz ˈmɔɹ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "less is more"
}

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "less is a bore"
    },
    {
      "word": "more is more"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English oxymorons",
    "English proverbs",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys"
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "less is more",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "less is more",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "That which is of smaller quantity could be of higher quality."
      ],
      "qualifier": "paradox",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(paradox, oxymoron) That which is of smaller quantity could be of higher quality."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1855, Robert Browning, \"Andrea del Sarto\" poem in Men and Women collection",
          "text": "Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1954 June 14, “‘Less Is More’”, in Time",
          "text": "The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, \"Less is more.\" This means, he says, having \"the greatest effect with the least means.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 March 3, Gia Kourlas, “Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness”, in New York Times, retrieved 2008-10-22",
          "text": "The program, which features two premieres—\"Songs,\" a solo, and \"The Pleasure of Stillness,\" a quartet—is founded on the notion that less is more.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "complicated",
          "complicated"
        ],
        [
          "understood",
          "understood"
        ],
        [
          "appreciated",
          "appreciated"
        ],
        [
          "brevity",
          "brevity"
        ],
        [
          "communication",
          "communication"
        ],
        [
          "verbosity",
          "verbosity"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/lɛs ɪz ˈmɔː/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/lɛs ɪz ˈmɔɹ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "english": "some contexts",
      "word": "a little goes a long way"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "al-ʔaqall huwa l-ʔakṯar",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "الْأَقَلّ هُوَ الْأَكْثَر"
    },
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "al-qullā hiya l-kuṯrā",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "الْقُلَّى هِيَ الْكُثْرَى"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "shǎojíshìduō",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "少即是多"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "wùyǐxīwéiguì",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "物以稀为贵"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "méně je více"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "minder is meer"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "vähemmän on enemmän"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "moins, c’est plus"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "weniger ist mehr"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "ouk en to polló to ef",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "ουκ εν τω πολλώ το ευ"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "roman": "ouk en tôi pollôi tò eû",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "οὐκ ἐν τῷ πολλῷ τὸ εὖ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "jeogeun geosi deo manta",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "적은 것이 더 많다"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "هرچه کمتربهتر"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "mniej znaczy więcej"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "menos é mais"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "note": "is fheàrr an teine beag a gharas na an teine mòr a loisgeas",
      "sense": "less is more"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "less is more",
      "word": "less is more"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "note": "mindre är mer (literally, but more common as an untranslated loan)",
      "sense": "less is more"
    }
  ],
  "word": "less is more"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-22 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (fc4f0c7 and c937495). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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