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 of rather

• preferably
• willingly
• soon

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

To give a concrete example, doubling sequence length from 32 tokens to 64 tokens does not merely double the computational cost for a transformer but rather quadruples it. — Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026

But this is not a production deal, or an IP deal, or a data training deal, rather A24 will have an active hand in shaping new workflows DeepMind builds with A24 and its filmmakers retaining full creative control. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 22 June 2026

Despite having a rather boxy appearance, each model had the confident look of luxury about it. — Paul Ridden june 22, New Atlas, 22 June 2026

Indeed, Grail medical advisor Hall says the Galleri test is not a diagnostic tool; rather, by identifying the volume and type of DNA fragments and other cancer markers in the blood, the test results offer what are essentially predictions about the source of the cancer. — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 22 June 2026

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

Rhymes for rather

• gather
• lather

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