Mehr oder weniger
Example: Das Wetter ist heute mehr oder weniger sonnig.
Definition
"Mehr oder weniger" is a German expression meaning 'more or less' or 'approximately,' used to indicate that something is somewhat or nearly the case, but not exactly. For example, in the phrase 'Das Wetter ist heute mehr oder weniger sonnig,' it suggests the weather is somewhat sunny.
Etymology
The phrase "mehr oder weniger" directly translates to 'more or less' in English. It combines 'mehr' meaning 'more' and 'weniger' meaning 'less,' connected by 'oder' meaning 'or.' This expression has been used in German for centuries to convey approximation or uncertainty, similar to its English counterpart.
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"Mehr oder weniger" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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