lesser
ADJECTIVE
attributive
- 1
- Not so great or important as the other or the rest.
- ‘he was convicted of a lesser assault charge’
- ‘they nest mostly in Alaska and to a lesser extent in Siberia’
Synonyms: less important, minor, secondary, subsidiary, marginal, ancillary, auxiliary, supplementary, supplemental, peripheral
1.1Lower in rank or quality.‘you're looking down your nose at us lesser mortals’
Synonyms: subordinate, minor, inferior, second-class, subservient, lowly, humble, servile, menial, mean
1.2Used in names of animals and plants which are smaller than similar kinds, e.g. lesser spotted woodpecker, lesser celandine.
Phrases
- the lesser evil (or the lesser of two evils)
- The less unpleasant of two undesirable possibilities.
- ‘authoritarianism may seem a lesser evil than abject poverty’
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/lesser