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 Tigers would head to the Sugar Bowl by way of conference tie-ins, and while another top-10 victory over Virginia Tech in New Orleans would sway several other pollsters to rank Auburn as the top team in the land, the big ones that counted awarded the Trojans with the crystal football instead. —

Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026 So ignore the full outline and focus instead on the Keystone — a neat, four-star rectangle high in the southeastern sky on June evenings. —

Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 June 2026 Fair enough—go with this multidimensional pink colorway instead. —

Annie Blackman, InStyle, 6 June 2026 Ramsay speeds through many of the action shots to instead focus on Joe’s psyche. —

Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for instead

Recent Examples of Synonyms for instead

rather

Adverb

Phongam plays off Jittri’s steam-rolling ambition to electrifying results in a rather addictive Thai thriller series that throws a lot of story at ya.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
But rather than further ratchet up the stakes in the final minutes, the episode closes with Rosemary exhaustively — and rather hilariously — going over an extensive genealogical document for Tom and Patricia.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026