Thesaurus results for INSTEAD

instead

adverb

in-ˈsted

Definition of instead next

as in rather

as a substitute I was offered a ride, but I chose to walk instead

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of instead The technocrats, many of whom are career officials from the Palestinian Authority that governs parts of the occupied West Bank, have instead spent their time in meetings, making policy plans for their eventual return to the Gaza Strip and its mounting humanitarian challenges. —

Matt Bradley, NBC news, 25 Apr. 2026 While others sneak photos of Newsom, a cluster of New York Times reporters just feet away are opting to forgo watching the governor hold court —and are instead watching the Lakers do so. —

Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 25 Apr. 2026 Others may get job or rental scams instead. —

Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026 The commission repurposed material instead, using wooden ballot boxes and blue ink left over from a vaccination drive last year. —

Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for instead

Recent Examples of Synonyms for instead

rather

Adverb

Wildlife here is so prolific that guests aren’t permitted to walk about; rather they’re ferried about by safari vehicle, passing honking hippos, giant basking Nile crocodiles and huge numbers of butterflies and birds.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
For anyone who’d rather not stomach as much volatility, a metal-specific ETF or broader precious metals fund may be the smarter starting point.

— Sharon Wu, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026