What does moindre in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word moindre in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use moindre in French.

The word moindre in French means lower, the lesser, low, down, for less, inexpensively, It is the least can do, it's the least you could do, it could be worse, to a lesser extent, to a lesser degree, to a lesser extent, the least can do, the least one can do, the path of least resistance, not have the faintest idea, not have the slightest idea, who takes the line of least resistance. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word moindre

lower

adjectif (moins important)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Grâce à des soldes intéressants, Tania a pu acheter cette robe qui lui plaisait tant à un prix moindre.
Thanks to a good sale, Tania was able to buy the dress she liked at a lower price.

the lesser

adjectif (part la moins importante)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
De deux maux, il faut choisir le moindre.
If you are faced with two evils, you have to choose the lesser evil.

low, down

adjectif (Suisse (affaibli) (emotion)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Elle se sent un peu moindre en ce moment.
She feels a bit down at the moment.

for less

locution adverbiale (le moins [qch] possible)

J'ai acheté ce téléphone à moindre prix que toi. Mon patron veut toujours tout acheter à moindre coût.

inexpensively

locution adverbiale (sans trop dépenser)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")

It is the least can do

(c'est le minimum)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
After last night, it's the least I can do.

it's the least you could do

(c'est le minimum de courtoisie)

it could be worse

(ça aurait pu être pire)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Notre avion n'a qu'une heure de retard, c'est un moindre mal !

to a lesser extent, to a lesser degree

locution adverbiale (moins)

to a lesser extent

locution adverbiale (de façon moins prégnante)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

the least can do

nom féminin (le minimum à faire)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon fils et sa femme sont arrivés au déjeuner avec plus d'une heure de retard : la moindre des choses aurait été de nous appeler pour nous prévenir.

the least one can do

nom féminin (politesse élémentaitre)

the path of least resistance

nom féminin (principe visant à s'économiser)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

not have the faintest idea, not have the slightest idea

locution verbale (ne pas savoir)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mon fils n'est pas encore rentré et je n'ai pas la moindre idée de ce qu'il peut être en train de faire.
My son isn't home yet and I don't have the faintest idea what he might be up to.

who takes the line of least resistance

(personne quelque peu fainéante)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of moindre in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.