Cool MateI'm not worthy of the honor vs Lesser
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
I'm not worthy of the honor
Top 2,000 (common)
Lesser
Beyond 10,000 (less common)C1adjective
Most common: I'm not worthy of the honor
| I'm not worthy of the honor | Lesser | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //aɪm nɒt ˈwɜːði əv ði ˈɒnər//🇺🇸 //aɪm nɑt ˈwɜrði əv ði ˈɔnər// | 🇬🇧 /["/ˈlesə(r)/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈlesər/"]/ |
| Meaning | I don't deserve the respect or award. | smaller in amount or importance |
| Example | When I received the award, I thought to myself, 'I'm not worthy of the honor.' | people of lesser importance |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 2,000 (common) | Beyond 10,000 (less common) |
| CEFR level | - | C1 |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | feel worthy of, not worthy of, worthy of recognition | lesser-known, lesser degree, lesser importance, lesser value, lesser evil |
| Antonyms | - | greater, higher, major |
| Common mistakes | Using 'worthy on' instead of 'worthy of'., Confusing with 'deserving', which can imply different nuances of merit. | Using 'lesser' in place of 'less' in informal situations., Confusing 'less' and 'lesser' where 'less' is more appropriate., Incorrectly placing 'lesser' before uncountable nouns. |
| Usage notes | Use in formal situations when expressing humility or disbelief about receiving recognition. Not suitable for overly casual conversations. | Use 'lesser' when comparing two things of different importance or quality, often in formal or literary contexts. It is less common in everyday conversation compared to 'less'. |
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Frequently asked questions: I'm not worthy of the honor vs Lesser
What's the difference between I'm not worthy of the honor and Lesser?
I'm not worthy of the honor: I don't deserve the respect or award. Lesser: smaller in amount or importance
Which is more common: I'm not worthy of the honor and Lesser?
I'm not worthy of the honor is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
I'm not worthy of the honor: When I received the award, I thought to myself, 'I'm not worthy of the honor.' Lesser: people of lesser importance
Can I use I'm not worthy of the honor and Lesser interchangeably?
Not always. I'm not worthy of the honor and Lesser are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.