any less definition

[asdf1234]

I have a sentence here using any less:

One of my very best friends lost her virginity a few years back and I didn't respect her any less.

According to thefreedictionary.com,

less is defined as: To a smaller extent, degree, or frequency

and

any is added to mean: To even the smallest extent

Does that mean that the person (the speaker in the sentence above) didn't respect her not in any way after one of her best friends lost her virginity?

But then she goes on saying:

Maybe it's just me being a good friend, but just because she decides to sleep with guys doesn't mean she's a bad person.

Why would she say this? In short, I don't understand the meaning of any less.

Here's the link to the statement in question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...8190940AAX8ujt

The same thing is true in the sentence:

You did your best and we did not expect any less.

Does that mean "You did your best and we expected more" ?

Will anyone explain the meaning of any less? I'm stuck. Thanks in advance.

 

[emsr2d2]

I have a sentence here using any less:

One of my very best friends lost her virginity a few years back and I didn't respect her any less.

This means that after she lost her virginity, her friend respected her exactly the same amount as he/she had before. The friend didn't respect her any more or any less!

If her friend had been disappointed in her because of her actions, the friend would have said "One of my friends lost her virginity a few years back and, as a result, I respected her less/she lost my respect/I didn't respect her as much as I had".

According to thefreedictionary.com,

less is defined as: To a smaller extent, degree, or frequency

and

any is added to mean: To even the smallest extent

Does that mean that the person (the speaker in the sentence above) didn't respect her not in any way after one of her best friends lost her virginity?

But then she goes on saying:

Maybe it's just me being a good friend, but just because she decides to sleep with guys doesn't mean she's a bad person.

Here, the friend is confirming that the girl's actions have had no effect on how the friend feels about her.

Why would she say this? In short, I don't understand the meaning of any less.

Here's the link to the statement in question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...8190940AAX8ujt

The same thing is true in the sentence:

You did your best and we did not expect any less.

Does that mean "You did your best and we expected more" ?

No - it means "You did your best and that is exactly what we expected". The writer knew that the person would do their best.

Will anyone explain the meaning of any less? I'm stuck. Thanks in advance.

See above.

Other examples:

One of my friends was rude about me the other day, but I don't like her any less. (It has made no difference to how much I like her)

The price of the car I want has gone up by 50%, but that hasn't made me want it any less. (I still want it, despite the price rise)