In mathematics, the terms "greater than" and "less than" refer to relative positions on the "number line", with more negative numbers considered to be "less than" more positive numbers, and more positive numbers considered to be "greater than" more negative numbers. The term "<u>[larger](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/larger)</u>" is different, referring to relative magnitude or distance from zero in either direction (toward -Infinity or +Infinity.) For example, if somebody said they had a large discrepancy in their tax return, they might be referring to some entry that was either much more negative or much more positive than it should be. The terms "larger" and "smaller" should not be confused with "greater than" and "less than". They seem to mean the same thing in colloquial use, speaking about positive values, such as height or weight. When speaking about negative values, the former terms can be ambiguous. The term "magnitude" might be better, but has much lower usage. (about 1/5x) So it would be worse for some.