less is more
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English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /lɛs ɪz ˈmɔː/
- (General American) IPA(key): /lɛs ɪz ˈmɔɹ/
Proverb
[edit]- (paradox, oxymoron) That which is of smaller quantity could be of higher quality.
- That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.
- 1855, Robert Browning, "Andrea del Sarto" poem in Men and Women collection:
- Well, less is more, Lucrezia: I am judged.
- 1954 June 14, “‘Less Is More’”, in Time:
- The essence of Mies's architectural philosophy is in his famous and sometimes derided phrase, "Less is more." This means, he says, having "the greatest effect with the least means."
- 2007 March 3, Gia Kourlas, “Dance Review: An Ordered World Defined With Soothing Spareness”, in New York Times, retrieved 22 October 2008:
- The program, which features two premieres—"Songs," a solo, and "The Pleasure of Stillness," a quartet—is founded on the notion that less is more.
- 1855, Robert Browning, "Andrea del Sarto" poem in Men and Women collection:
Usage notes
[edit]- This was the motto of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a proponent of minimalism in architecture.
Synonyms
[edit]- a little goes a long way (some contexts)
Antonyms
[edit]Translations
[edit]less is more
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