more or less

Questions about more or less

What is another word for more or less?

It depends which more or less you mean. In the sense “(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct”, the synonyms are approximately, about, close to, just about, some, roughly, around, or so. Across all 2 senses there are 10 distinct synonyms, and they are not interchangeable with each other — this page lists them under the sense each one belongs to.

What is the opposite of more or less?

WordNet records no antonym for more or less. Antonymy in WordNet is a relation between specific word forms rather than between concepts, so it is recorded only where lexicographers judged the pairing direct. An absence here means none was recorded, not that none can be imagined.

Why are the synonyms for more or less split into groups?

Because more or less carries 2 recorded senses and each has its own set of substitutes. A single flat list would put words from unrelated meanings side by side with nothing to tell them apart, which is exactly how a writer picks the wrong one. The grouping comes from WordNet's synsets, not from an editorial judgement of ours.

Where do the synonyms for more or less come from?

From Princeton University's WordNet, a lexical database maintained by lexicographers since 1985. A synonym here means a word form that shares a synset with this word — a set of forms interchangeable in one recorded context. Nothing on this page is generated by a language model.

Other views of more or less

• Full entry for more or lessAll 2 senses, with examples, usage labels, syllables and pronunciation.
• Rhymes for more or lessWhether this word can be rhymed at all — it is not in the pronouncing dictionary.
• Thesaurus homeHow WordNet synsets work, and the collections built for synonym work.