fewer

fewer — pronoun

1. a smaller quantity of countable people, items, or concepts when comparing one gr

1.pronounB1
Definition

a smaller quantity of countable people, items, or concepts when comparing one group with another group.

Example

Karim invited all his friends to his party, but fewer came than he hoped.

fewer + than — standalone comparative pronoun after noun ellipsis

There were far fewer people on the morning bus during the holiday week.

collocation: far fewer + [plural noun]

Common collocations
  • far fewer
  • no fewer than
  • fewer than
  • even fewer
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

fewer + [plural countable noun] + than + [comparison group]

no fewer than + [number]

far fewer + [plural countable noun]

Usage Note

Contrast with less: use fewer with countable nouns (people, books, days) and less with uncountable quantities (water, time, money). This distinction is frequently tested in exams and formal writing.

Common Mistakes

There are less students in this class than last year.
There are fewer students in this class than last year.
'fewer' is for countable nouns like 'students'; 'less' is for uncountable nouns.

Word family

  • few
    adjectiveA1
  • fewest
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: pronoun/1

Fewer, a smaller number (of), and not as many all express a reduced countable quantity compared to something else. Fewer is the standard comparative form of few and pairs naturally with plural count nouns (fewer books, fewer people). A smaller number (of) sounds more formal and is common in written reports and academic contexts. Not as many is the most conversational option and works in everyday speech. For example: 'Fewer students passed the exam this year' sounds neutral and correct; 'A smaller number of students passed' sounds more official; 'Not as many students passed' sounds like something you would say to a friend.

a smaller number (of)not as many

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • fewer than
  • no fewer than
  • far fewer

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Fewer is the comparative form of few, tracing back to Old English fēaw (few, small in number) combined with the comparative suffix -ra, giving fēawera. The word has functioned as the standard comparative for countable quantity since the Old English period.