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
: instead of
rather than being pleased, she was angry
Examples of rather than in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Molly Flatt, Fortune Europe, 8 May 2024
By this time, children are usually grown and out of the house, and older women may have built up the courage to strike out on their own, rather than stay in unhappy marriages.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 8 May 2024
Because Marriott died without a will, British law rules that his estate would go entirely to Toni Marriott rather than his children (each of whom have different mothers, none of whom are Toni Marriott).
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 May 2024
The insolvency date for Medicare was extended to 2036, rather than 2031 from last year’s report, leading some to conclude that the program has fundamentally improved.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 May 2024
That strategy suggests Johnson would face a direct challenge to his speakership from an alternative candidate as early as January 2025, rather than a vote on ousting him smack in the middle of the current session.
—Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
The strikes focused on targets in the border areas of Rafah, rather than the main population areas, but could foreshadow what is to come.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 7 May 2024
The run time seems appropriate given Knight is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s 160-page novella The Hedge Knight rather than one of his 900-page epic novels.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024
The phrasing of this statement strongly implies that Nemo, rather than being a human adult, is in fact secretly a panda whose true identity has been previously unmasked and may yet be unmasked again.
—Leila Sales, SPIN, 7 May 2024
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
Moving forward, however, more and more states could be legalizing through the work of their state legislatures, rather than with ballot initiatives, Armentano said.
—Matt Stiles, CNN, 7 Mar. 2023
The shooting drew criticism of the officers' willingness to use lethal force rather than de-escalating a non-violent situation.
—Ashraf Khalil, ajc, 7 Mar. 2023
Most of the time the money goes toward improving existing parks, rather than acquiring new land, Jumper said.
—Stacy Ryburn, Arkansas Online, 7 Mar. 2023
The three officials characterized the decision as driven by public health, rather than foreign policy.
—Dan Diamond, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Mar. 2023
From the start, Ronaldson foresaw Webb’s cross-continental appeal and aimed for a record deal abroad rather than signing in the United Kingdom.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2023
Clasps are steel rather than plastic, and a strong steel core is covered with a weather-resistant plastic coating to increase durability.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2023
Conjunction
And although Liverpool’s historic rivals Manchester United announced a new AI partnership this January with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport, the focus is once again on performance analysis rather than fan experience.
—Molly Flatt, Fortune Europe, 8 May 2024
By this time, children are usually grown and out of the house, and older women may have built up the courage to strike out on their own, rather than stay in unhappy marriages.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 8 May 2024
Because Marriott died without a will, British law rules that his estate would go entirely to Toni Marriott rather than his children (each of whom have different mothers, none of whom are Toni Marriott).
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 May 2024
The insolvency date for Medicare was extended to 2036, rather than 2031 from last year’s report, leading some to conclude that the program has fundamentally improved.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 May 2024
That strategy suggests Johnson would face a direct challenge to his speakership from an alternative candidate as early as January 2025, rather than a vote on ousting him smack in the middle of the current session.
—Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
The strikes focused on targets in the border areas of Rafah, rather than the main population areas, but could foreshadow what is to come.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 7 May 2024
The run time seems appropriate given Knight is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s 160-page novella The Hedge Knight rather than one of his 900-page epic novels.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024
The phrasing of this statement strongly implies that Nemo, rather than being a human adult, is in fact secretly a panda whose true identity has been previously unmasked and may yet be unmasked again.
—Leila Sales, SPIN, 7 May 2024
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
Moving forward, however, more and more states could be legalizing through the work of their state legislatures, rather than with ballot initiatives, Armentano said.
—Matt Stiles, CNN, 7 Mar. 2023
The shooting drew criticism of the officers' willingness to use lethal force rather than de-escalating a non-violent situation.
—Ashraf Khalil, ajc, 7 Mar. 2023
Most of the time the money goes toward improving existing parks, rather than acquiring new land, Jumper said.
—Stacy Ryburn, Arkansas Online, 7 Mar. 2023
The three officials characterized the decision as driven by public health, rather than foreign policy.
—Dan Diamond, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Mar. 2023
From the start, Ronaldson foresaw Webb’s cross-continental appeal and aimed for a record deal abroad rather than signing in the United Kingdom.
—Lyndsey Havens, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2023
Clasps are steel rather than plastic, and a strong steel core is covered with a weather-resistant plastic coating to increase durability.
—Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rather than.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rather than
Cite this Entry
“Rather than.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rather%20than. Accessed 12 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share