Phrase guide

let alone

conj · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

conj

Meaning 1

Much less; to say nothing of; used after one negative clause to introduce another, usually broader and more important clause, whose negation is implied by the negation of the first. However either of these instances mentioned can be applied with the use of let alone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • He couldn't boil water, let alone prepare a dinner for eight.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

conj

Meaning 2

Not to mention, as well as; used after one item, to introduce a further item which is entailed by the first.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To leave alone, let be; to stop bothering.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • I wish he would let me alone so I could get some sleep.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: leave alone

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To rely on (a person) to do something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial, dated, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

much less

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she can't boil potatoes, let alone cook a meal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: not to mention

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

103 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَاهِيك (nāhīk) — to say nothing of
  • Armenian: էլ չասած (ēl čʻasac) — to say nothing of
  • Armenian: ուր մնաց (ur mnacʻ) — to say nothing of
  • Bulgarian: ка́мо ли (kámo li) — to say nothing of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 更不用說 /更不用说 (gèng bùyòng shuō) — to say nothing of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 何況 /何况 (hékuàng) — to say nothing of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 遑論 /遑论 (huánglùn) — to say nothing of
  • Czech: natož — to say nothing of
  • Danish: endnu mindre — to say nothing of
  • Danish: endsige — to say nothing of
  • Danish: end mindre — to say nothing of
  • Dutch: laat staan — to say nothing of
  • Dutch: gezwegen van — to say nothing of
  • Dutch: om maar te zwijgen van — to say nothing of
  • Esperanto: des malpli — to say nothing of
  • Finnish: puhumattakaan — to say nothing of
  • Finnish: saati — to say nothing of
  • Finnish: saati sitten — to say nothing of
  • French: encore moins — to say nothing of
  • French: et encore moins — to say nothing of
  • French: sans compter — to say nothing of
  • French: sans parler de — to say nothing of
  • German: geschweige denn — to say nothing of
  • German: geschweige — to say nothing of
  • Greek: πόσο μάλλον (póso mállon) — to say nothing of
  • Hebrew: קַל וָחֹמֶר (kal vaẖómer) — to say nothing of
  • Hebrew: לא כֹּל שֶׁכֵּן (lo kol shekén) — to say nothing of
  • Hebrew: עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה ('al aẖát kamma v'chamma) — to say nothing of
  • Hungarian: nemhogy — to say nothing of
  • Hungarian: hát még — to say nothing of
  • Hungarian: még kevésbé — to say nothing of
  • Hungarian: nem is beszélve — to say nothing of
  • Hungarian: végképp — to say nothing of
  • Indonesian: apalagi — to say nothing of
  • Ingrian: nesto — to say nothing of
  • Italian: nonché — to say nothing of
  • Italian: per non parlare di — to say nothing of
  • Italian: figuriamoci — to say nothing of
  • Japanese: どころか (dokoroka) — to say nothing of
  • Japanese: もちろん (mochiron) — to say nothing of
  • Javanese: aja cacak — to say nothing of
  • Javanese: aja manèh — to say nothing of
  • Javanese: apa manèh — to say nothing of
  • Korean: 커녕 (keonyeong) — to say nothing of
  • Latin: nedum — to say nothing of
  • Macedonian: ка́моли (kámoli) — to say nothing of
  • Norwegian: enn si — to say nothing of
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: enn seie — to say nothing of
  • Persian: چه برسه — to say nothing of
  • Polish: co dopiero — to say nothing of
  • Portuguese: muito menos — to say nothing of
  • Portuguese: quanto mais — to say nothing of
  • Portuguese: que dirá — to say nothing of
  • Portuguese: quem dirá — to say nothing of
  • Romanian: darămite — to say nothing of
  • Romanian: ce să mai vorbim — to say nothing of
  • Romanian: nici vorbă — to say nothing of
  • Russian: не говоря́ уже́ — to say nothing of
  • Russian: тем бо́лее — to say nothing of
  • Scottish Gaelic: gun luaidh — to say nothing of
  • Serbo-Croatian: још мање — to say nothing of
  • Serbo-Croatian: камоли — to say nothing of
  • Serbo-Croatian: а камоли — to say nothing of
  • Serbo-Croatian: još manje — to say nothing of
  • Serbo-Croatian: kamoli — to say nothing of
  • Serbo-Croatian: a kamoli — to say nothing of
  • Slovak: a už vôbec nie — to say nothing of
  • Slovak: nehovoriac o — to say nothing of
  • Slovene: kaj šele — to say nothing of
  • Upper Sorbian: zabywši — to say nothing of
  • Spanish: y mucho menos — to say nothing of
  • Spanish: ni qué hablar de — to say nothing of
  • Spanish: por no hablar de — to say nothing of
  • Spanish: menos aún — to say nothing of
  • Swedish: än mindre — to say nothing of
  • Swedish: och ännu mindre — to say nothing of
  • Turkish: bırak — to say nothing of
  • Urdu: چہ جائے کہ (cih jā'ye kih) — to say nothing of
  • Dutch: laat staan — as well as
  • Finnish: puhumattakaan — as well as
  • Finnish: saati — as well as
  • Finnish: saati sitten — as well as
  • French: sans compter — as well as
  • French: sans parler de — as well as
  • German: geschweige denn — as well as
  • Indonesian: apalagi — as well as
  • Italian: così come — as well as
  • Italian: come anche — as well as
  • Polish: nie mówiąc już o — as well as
  • Portuguese: ainda mais — as well as
  • Romanian: ce să mai vorbim — as well as
  • Slovak: a samozrejme — as well as
  • Spanish: así como — as well as
  • Spanish: sin contar con — as well as
  • Spanish: además de — as well as
  • Dutch: met rust laten — leave alone
  • Finnish: jättää rauhaan — leave alone
  • Polish: zostawiać w spokoju — leave alone
  • Polish: zostawić w spokoju — leave alone
  • Slovene: pustiti pri miru — leave alone
  • Spanish: dejar en paz — leave alone
  • Spanish: dejar — leave alone
  • Swedish: lämna i fred — leave alone