More or less and other approximation expressions in English

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When we don't know or don't want to give an exact amount, we can use expressions like "more or less", but how do we say it in English? What other possibilities do we have? In this post we will give you the answers.


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More or less in English has a fairly literal translation, more or less . It is spain phone number list adverbial degree , specifically it is an adverbial degree that is used to indicate an indeterminate quantity, but there are many more! Take a look:

About, almost, around, approximately, bordering on, circa, close to, just about, nearly, not far from, not quite, on average, relatively, roughly, thereabouts, very close…

All of these serve the same purpose as more or less, so when do we use one or the other? That will depend on the situation, whether it is formal or not, oral or written, and how accurate the approximation is. Let's look at some of them.

Approximately
This adverb is one of the most formal and is commonly used in writing. It is not impossible to use it when speaking, but there are other adverbials that are used more frequently in these cases. Its use also suggests that the calculation that has been made is more careful, not something improvised.