rather

adverb

rath·​er ˈra-t͟hər 

ˈrä-,

ˈrə-,

 also  ˈre-;

 interjectionally  ˈra-ˈt͟hər,

ˈrä-,

ˈrə-

1

: with better reason or more propriety : more properly

this you should pity rather than despise

—William Shakespeare

2

: more readily or willingly : preferably

I'd rather not go

would rather read than watch television

—often used interjectionally to express affirmation

3

: more correctly speaking

my father, or rather my stepfather

4

: to the contrary : instead

was no better but rather grew worse

—Mark 5:26 (Revised Standard Version)

5

: in some degree : somewhat

it's rather warm

—often used as a mild intensive

spent rather a lot of money

Phrases

the rather

archaic : the more quickly or readily

Synonyms

• fain
• first
• preferably
• readily
• soon
• willingly

Examples of rather in a Sentence

The movie is a comedy, but rather a dull one.

I think the children watch rather too much television.

It rather annoyed me that he was late picking me up.

Recent Examples on the Web

Director Naoyuki Itô obviously relishes classic world-building elements and oversees some rather astonishing visual set pieces. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

Ramakrishnan pointed out that the rather small size of the shift could be because voters’ level of education ended up being a major factor in vote choice. —Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024

The bad news then is that the preponderance of users is blindly unaware of this rather significant consideration when using generative AI, namely that the answers are not 100% certain all the time. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Stations invited folks to stop and literally smell the roses — or, rather, the scent of lemon, ginger, geranium, patchouli and other oils (which could be dabbed onto cotton balls and taken along for comfort, if needed, later in the day). —Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English hrathor, comparative of hrathe quickly; akin to Old High German rado quickly, Old English hræd quick

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rather

• rather than
• sooner rather than later
• the exception rather than the rule
• would rather

Kids Definition

rather

adverb

rath·​er ˈrat͟h-ər 

ˈrät͟h-,

ˈrət͟h-

1

: more willingly

would rather stay home

2

: more exactly : more properly

my father, or, rather, my stepfather

3

: instead

was no better but rather grew worse

4

: somewhat entry 2

rather cold today