not so great or important as the other or the rest:he was convicted of a lesser assault chargethey nest mostly in Alaska and to a lesser extent in Siberia
lower in rank or quality:you’re looking down your nose at us lesser mortals
used in names of animals and plants which are smaller than similar kinds, e.g. lesser spotted woodpecker, lesser celandine.
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
