rather than

1 of 2

conjunction

1

—used with the infinitive form of a verb to indicate negation as a contrary choice or wish

rather than continue the argument, he walked away

chose to sing rather than play violin

2

: and not

obscures rather than resolves the problem

why do one thing rather than another?

happy rather than sad

rather than

2 of 2

preposition

: instead of

rather than being pleased, she was angry

Examples of rather than in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Conjunction

Repeating the same message without adding value can lead to disengagement rather than alignment. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Some have chosen to self-deport rather than risk detention. —Maykel Gonzalez, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025

Preposition

Engelhardt’s essay is a pointed exploration of the way that advertising seeps into children’s television and a critique of TV aesthetics that dull rather than enliven young minds. —Phillip MacIak, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2023

But others said that these technologies should be viewed as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, animal testing. —Emily Anthes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Conjunction

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1595, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rather than

• businessman
• canavan
• caravan
• constantan
• dragoman
• fisherman
• handyman
• harmattan
• journeyman
• marianne
• middleman
• minivan

Kids Definition

rather than

1 of 2 conjunction

1

—used to indicate negation or a contrary choice or wish

rather than argue, he walked away

chose to sing rather than play violin

2

: and not

happy rather than sad

why one thing rather than another?

rather than

2 of 2 preposition

: instead of

rather than being pleased, she was angry