From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishto a greater or lesser extentto a greater or lesser extentused to emphasize that something is always true, even though it is more true or noticeable in some situations than others Most companies operate in conditions that are to a greater or lesser extent competitive. → great
Examples from the Corpus
to a greater or lesser extent• All polite exchanges are conventional to a greater or lesser extent.• With every formal organisation there exists, to a greater or lesser extent, a complex informal organisation.• All societies differentiate and, to a greater or lesser extent, allocate unequal rewards on the basis of age.• Both historians proceed to a greater or lesser extent by way of discussion of great photographers.• They also, to a greater or lesser extent, existed outside mainstream, predominantly male controlled, hierarchical structures.• All of us, to a greater or lesser extent, have been doing this all our lives.• Different professional institutions may define to a greater or lesser extent the modes and their mix.• In these cases A is to a greater or lesser extent unclear, ambiguous. 