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. — Andrew Kozak, CBS News, 29 June 2026

There’s a security in feeling that his pregame swing work will translate into the game, rather than trying to make fixes in the middle of it. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 29 June 2026

Preposition

Stokesbury said the climber's descent was a long slide down the steep snow slope rather than a straight free fall, with the terrain gradually becoming less steep farther down the mountain. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

At this point, the odors are believed to be an inconvenience rather than a public health threat, according to Quick, the county medical advisor. — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 2 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