Much less means and certainly not: after a negative, it adds a case that's even harder or less likely. I can't run two kilometres, much less a marathon: if two kilometres is impossible, a marathon definitely is. Before it you'll find not, never or barely. In ordinary comparisons, much less simply means a lot less: much less noise.
How would you use much less?
Write a sentence — we'll check that the word fits the meaning and suggest what to fix.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
negative or limiting statement, much less + less likely possibility
- I can't run two kilometres, much less a marathon.
- They had barely enough space for a desk, much less a meeting table.
- He hadn't read the summary, much less the full report.
What changed
First versionI can't run two kilometres, much more a marathon.
RevisionI can't run two kilometres, much less a marathon.
Much more works for adding something bigger in positive sentences, so it seems to fit here too: much more a marathon. But after a negative, English needs the opposite logic: much less a marathon, meaning certainly not that. More was replaced with less.
Let alone means the same and is more common in conversation: I can't cook rice, let alone a three-course dinner. Much less sounds a little more formal. Not to mention just adds a point and doesn't need a negative: The flat is cheap, not to mention close to work.
Your turn
The first task is already impossible: I can't lift one box, much less ___.
Show the answer
three boxes — After much less you need a case harder than the first: if you can't lift one box, you certainly can't lift three. Half a box would be easier.
Name something you can't do yet, and use much less to add something even harder.
We don't have room for a second desk, much less a whole meeting area.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.