fewer
- 01 B1 Intermediate
det.a smaller number of people or things.
det.a smaller number of discrete, countable entities; functions as the comparative of 'few'.
Simple“There are fewer students in the classroom today because of the snow.”
In context“The new policy resulted in fewer complaints from customers, suggesting that the recent service improvements were effective.”
UsageAlways used with plural countable nouns.
PitfallThere are less people in the office today. There are fewer people in the office today.Use 'fewer' for things you can count (people, cars, books) and 'less' for things you cannot count (water, time, money).
Synonymsnot as manyAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
pron.a smaller number of people or things already mentioned.
pron.a smaller number of entities, functioning as a pronoun to avoid repetition of a previously mentioned plural noun.
Simple“Many people applied for the job, but fewer were invited for an interview.”
In context“While dozens of candidates expressed initial interest in the position, significantly fewer actually submitted a completed application by the deadline.”
Synonymsa smaller amountAntonyms
fewer vs less — Fewer modifies plural countable nouns, while less modifies singular uncountable nouns.
Usage fewer opportunities · fewer people · fewer resources
From Middle English fewere, equivalent to few + -er.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.