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

Any rain could keep some locations in the upper 90s, rather than 100s. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 1 July 2026

More generally, soccer continues to grow in popularity in the US, and sporting events continue to compel people to watch live rather than on demand. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 June 2026

Preposition

If won rather than settled, the class action lawsuit would have seen hundreds of thousands residents receiving direct, one-time payments from the county, intended to reimburse excessive funds paid on 2023 property taxes. — Ilana Arougheti july 23, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026

Last year, the Pentagon attempted to impose major restrictions on journalists working inside the Pentagon, which, in turn, led most news outlets to turn in their access badges and walk out rather than agree to the new rules. — ABC News, 23 July 2026

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