Meaning & use
lesser-known
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
not widely famous or recognized; known by only a small number of people
Grammar: Comes before the noun: a lesser-known fact. It is not used after a verb.
Patterns
- lesser-known + noun
She studies a lesser-known language spoken by only a few thousand people.
The museum has a collection of lesser-known paintings from the 1800s.
He wrote about a lesser-known battle that changed the war.
Common combinations
- a lesser-known fact
- Here is a lesser-known fact about the city's history.
- a lesser-known artist
- The gallery focuses on lesser-known artists from the region.
- a lesser-known work
- Her lesser-known work is finally getting attention.
- relatively lesser-known
- The band is relatively lesser-known outside Europe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- little-known
- Very similar, but little-known can suggest almost nobody knows it, while lesser-known suggests it is known by fewer people than something more famous.
- obscure
- Stronger and often disapproving; obscure means hard to find or understand, not just less famous.
- unfamiliar
- Focuses on the listener not knowing it, not on how many people know it.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lesser-known or less known?
lesser-known vs less known
Written as two words, less known is a comparative phrase: This writer is less known than that one. The hyphenated lesser-known is a single adjective before a noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses lesser-known correctly?
Choose one answer.
Lesser-known goes before a noun, as in 'a lesser-known inventor'. The other options use it after a verb or with 'than', where you need 'less known'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lesser-known”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.