as in rather
as a substitute
I was offered a ride, but I chose to walk instead
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Recent Examples of instead
Not so in Catalonia, where, under the hand of Laporta, in a presidential role where popularity is key to sticking around, Barca instead opted to find ever more novel ways of raising money.
—
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
But instead, he was welcomed by a crowd of people who came to congratulate him.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
Unlike previous years, the president’s inauguration ceremony was closed to the public, shown instead on state TV.
—Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
And Bosa appeared to have had a path to Mahomes, only to stop his charge and drop back into coverage instead.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instead
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
But instead, he was welcomed by a crowd of people who came to congratulate him.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
Unlike previous years, the president’s inauguration ceremony was closed to the public, shown instead on state TV.
—Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
And Bosa appeared to have had a path to Mahomes, only to stop his charge and drop back into coverage instead.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instead
rather
Adverb
-
This character of aberrance is what makes accidental surfing deaths seem inevitable—or, rather, inexorable, built into the subway’s force.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The lack of competition means the greatest fear many lawmakers have is not the prospect of losing to the other party in a general election but rather being snuffed out in a primary by a more ideological and extreme challenger.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instead. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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