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
Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Described as a safe, autonomous, and highly generalizable platform, MATRIX-3 is designed to perform complex, human-like tasks while adapting to real-world environments rather than following rigid, pre-programmed instructions.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Given these conventions, the markings visible on the bomb have led to speculation that the JDAM shown in the images could be configured with an incendiary-type payload rather than a standard high-explosive filling.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026
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Conjunction
Her memories of Parchman as a bucolic place rather than as a prison remind me that the children who grew up on the grounds of Parchman probably saw the place the same way.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Described as a safe, autonomous, and highly generalizable platform, MATRIX-3 is designed to perform complex, human-like tasks while adapting to real-world environments rather than following rigid, pre-programmed instructions.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
Preposition
Regular agreements become supportive containers rather than constrictive walls.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
Given these conventions, the markings visible on the bomb have led to speculation that the JDAM shown in the images could be configured with an incendiary-type payload rather than a standard high-explosive filling.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rather than
Cite this Entry
“Rather than.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rather%20than. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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