less or lesser

[charwilson]

What is the rule for using either less or lesser? It seems that in most cases, less would work as well as lesser.

Thank you so much!
Char

 

[Ellena]

I have only seen "lesser" in the phrase: "choose the lesser of two evils". So my opinion is the follows, this form is outdated, like a historical one, which you find mostly in novels by Austen (for example) and in old set expressions... Maybe I'm wrong, but really, I haven't seen this word "lesser" used anywhere but for that expression.

 

[Barb_D]

If it has to do with "how much" in terms of quantity, use less. There's less milk in this glass than that glass, the price is less for this Web cam than that one, I took too much salad -- I wish I'd taken less.

If it has to do with "how good" (quality), use lesser. The lesser of two evils, he's the lesser man of the two.

 

[5jj]

It's not uncommon with the meaning 'less important, less great', always directly before the noun:

'Guardian' readers nibble on kumquats; lesser mortals think the kiwi fruit is the height of sophistication.

The whole staff were involved, to a greater or lesser degree/extent, in the project.