What does leaner mean?
Leaner is the comparative form of lean and is used in several related ways. Its most familiar meaning is physically thinner or less fatty, as in a person with a leaner build or an animal producing leaner meat. It also describes something that has been made more economical, efficient, or streamlined, such as a leaner budget, a leaner organization, or a leaner approach to a problem. In the expression leaner toward or leaner to, it means more inclined to favor a particular opinion, behavior, or direction. The word is common in both British and American English and can carry a positive connotation when it describes an efficient or carefully reduced system. While leaner is usually an adjective, it is also occasionally used as a rare noun for a person or thing that leans.
Comparative of lean: thinner or less fatty; more economical or streamlined; or more inclined toward something.
"They sought a leaner design that would use fewer materials."
The phrase leaner toward is especially common in political, business, and analytical contexts.
A person or thing that leans, especially a person who leans or an object designed to incline.
"The old wooden bench needed a small block beneath one leg to keep it steady."
This noun use is uncommon in modern English.
The plural is used when referring to multiple people or objects that lean.
"The workers used temporary supports as leaners for the unstable beams."
One little suffix turns lean into leaner: a word that can describe a slimmer body, a leaner budget, or a stronger preference for one course of action.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does leaner come from?
The word descends from Old English hlǣne, an adjective meaning thin, slender, or without fat. Modern leaner was formed by adding the comparative suffix -er to lean, reflecting the regular comparison of Germanic adjectives. Related Germanic cognates include German mager and Dutch mager, both meaning lean or thin.
Related word forms
How leaner is actually used
As the comparative of lean, it is especially common in figurative contexts involving costs, procedures, resources, and proportions. In the sense of 'more inclined,' it is normally used with toward or to.
Easily confused with leaner
A leaner is the comparative form of lean, while a learner is someone who studies or acquires knowledge.