lesser

choose the lesser of two evils

To pick the less offensive of two undesirable options. I wasn't excited about going to a seminar all weekend, but I also didn't want to lose my license, so I chose the lesser of two evils and spent the weekend learning about new regulations in our field. Do you really want to get a demerit for not having your blazer? Just choose the lesser of two evils and tell the teacher you forgot it—maybe she'll take pity on you!

See also: choose, evil, lesser, of, two

lesser evil

The less offensive of two undesirable options. Both options are unpalatable, but the lesser evil, in this case, is selling the house. Polls show that the candidate is not well-liked, but is viewed as the lesser evil.

See also: evil, lesser

the lesser of two evils

The less offensive of two undesirable options. Both options are unpalatable, but the lesser of two evils, in this case, is selling the house. Polls show that the candidate is not well-liked, but is viewed as the lesser of two evils.

See also: evil, lesser, of, two

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

lesser (of the two)

the smaller one (of two); the one having the lesser amount. The last two pieces of pie were not quite the same size, and I chose the lesser of the two. Faced with a basket containing too much and one with too little, Tom chose the lesser.

lesser of two evils

the less bad thing of a pair of bad things. I didn't like either politician, so I voted for the lesser of two evils. Given the options of going out with someone I don't like and staying home and watching a boring television program, I chose the lesser of the two evils and watched television.

See also: evil, lesser, of, two

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

lesser of two evils

The somewhat less unpleasant of two poor choices. For example, I'd rather stay home and miss the picnic altogether than run into those nasty people-it's the lesser of two evils . This expression was already a proverb in ancient Greek and appeared in English by the late 1300s. Chaucer used it in Troilus and Cressida.

See also: evil, lesser, of, two

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

the lesser of two evils

or

the lesser evil

COMMON If you have to choose between two bad things, you can call the one which is less bad the lesser of two evils or the lesser evil. Should she choose life on the streets or the bad marriage? In the end it seemed the street was the lesser of two evils. In a continent where economic successes are rare, this sort of regime may seem a lesser evil than abject poverty.

See also: evil, lesser, of, two

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

the lesser evil (or the lesser of two evils)

the less harmful or unpleasant of two bad choices or possibilities.

See also: evil, lesser

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

the ˌlesser of two ˈevils

,

the ˌlesser ˈevil

the less unpleasant of two unpleasant choices: Neither candidate seemed capable of governing the country. People voted for him as the lesser of two evils.

See also: evil, lesser, of, two

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

lesser of two evils

See choice between two evils.

See also: evil, lesser, of, two

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer