1
as in preferably
by choice or preference
I would rather go to the movies than stay at home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in instead
as a substitute
don't think of the placement test as torture but rather as a chance to show off how much you know
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in pretty
to some degree or extent
I say, don't you think that's rather expensive for a hamburger?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rather
For many, springtime is less about the start of new life, but rather the start of an exhausting seasonal allergy season that seems to get longer and longer each year.
—
Irene Wright, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Season two of One Piece brings in three rather surprising character appearances that deviate from their introductions in the anime and manga.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Those lauded don’t necessarily need to be Texas natives, rather simply have ties to the state.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Except it wasn’t approved to treat autism, but rather a rare brain disorder, cerebral folate deficiency, that resembles autism.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rather
Irene Wright, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Season two of One Piece brings in three rather surprising character appearances that deviate from their introductions in the anime and manga.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Those lauded don’t necessarily need to be Texas natives, rather simply have ties to the state.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
Except it wasn’t approved to treat autism, but rather a rare brain disorder, cerebral folate deficiency, that resembles autism.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rather
Adverb
-
Take Bar Betty’s checkered past with a grain of salt, preferably on the rim of a margarita.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
-
For wide-angle landscape shots using a mirrorless or DSLR camera (preferably full-frame to capture stars around the eclipsed moon), choose a 14mm-35mm lens.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In her closet were seven Ungaros, three Rykiels, a Kamali bathing suit and a Kamali sleeping-bag coat, five Kenzo dresses, two pieces from the Ballets Russes collection of Saint Laurent—all of which were trades or payments in kind, none of them mothballed, but instead worn ostentatiously and often.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
-
No penalty was given; Charlotte got a corner instead.—
Colin Cerniglia,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
San Pedro Garza García neighborhood—plus some pretty stellar mountain views.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Mar. 2026
-
This Cavaliers team, built on the fly after Odom was hired in March 2025, has had but four bumps on the road this season, but one was a pretty big bump.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But after all the games missed and all the opportunities lost during the past 10 months, Arenas would never willingly give up another.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Though the sponsor did not go willingly.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Fortunately, larger fuel sources like dense vegetation remain moist from heavy winter rains, and winds are predicted to be relatively light, conditions that together limit the danger of fast-spreading wildfires.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Now the molecule was DMT, which causes an extremely intense but relatively short trip.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Kimmel eventually returned to the air six days later, and both Nexstar and Sinclair also soon after restored the show to their stations.—
Kristin Brown,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Denver equalized in the 20th minute, but Sonis was soon sent off and Bay FC took control.—
Harold Gutmann,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But, as the historian and New Yorker contributor Daniel Immerwahr points out, these latest American acts of aggression represent something quite different.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2026
-
His family is not quite as enthusiastic.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Most importantly, as mentioned, Gudas has one of the longer rap sheets in the league, albeit all from earlier in his career (between 2015 and 2019), when these reckless plays were fairly routine for him.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Questions of reparations are a fairly academic subject.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rather. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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