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
Gerard Finley’s Antony makes a good partner to this rather domesticated Cleopatra.
—
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
This is not an abandonment of loyalty to these institutions' missions, but rather, its highest expression.
—Alondra Nelson, Time, 13 May 2025
They had been rather carelessly overfilled and half an inch of gas sloshed on top of the barrels.
—Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2025
The Leafs’ power play never overwhelmed teams with shot volume and scoring chances, but rather worked the puck to high-danger areas, pounced on rebounds and offered a lot of shooting options between Knies and John Tavares at the net and Matthews and William Nylander from the flanks.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rather
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 13 May 2025
This is not an abandonment of loyalty to these institutions' missions, but rather, its highest expression.
—Alondra Nelson, Time, 13 May 2025
They had been rather carelessly overfilled and half an inch of gas sloshed on top of the barrels.
—Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 1 May 2025
The Leafs’ power play never overwhelmed teams with shot volume and scoring chances, but rather worked the puck to high-danger areas, pounced on rebounds and offered a lot of shooting options between Knies and John Tavares at the net and Matthews and William Nylander from the flanks.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rather
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rather
Adverb
-
Two years ago, Aidan Butler, chief executive of 1/st Racing, which will operate the Preakness for two years before surrendering to Maryland regulatory agencies, pushed for a new schedule with three or preferably four weeks between races.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
-
Just enjoy the brownie, preferably with a glass of milk.—
Louryn Strampe,
Wired News,
9 May 2025
Adverb
-
But Belly decides to end the tumultuous roller coaster by choosing to be with Jeremiah instead.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
-
The crypto exchange didn’t pay and is instead offering the same amount for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the hackers.—
Thomas Brewster,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adverb
-
The numbers are getting pretty big for a lot of guys and max salaries in this league, who does that go to?—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2025
-
The numbers are getting pretty big for a lot of guys.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2025
Adverb
-
The momentum is especially fast-paced, almost overly so, at the beginning, but the film settles over time into the relatively pleasant feel of a runaway train.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
Some homes and businesses bounced back relatively quickly, while others languished in complicated situations with insurance companies and a drought of cash flow.—
Gwen Rockwood,
Arkansas Online,
15 May 2025
Adverb
-
Worked by enslaved captives transported from Africa, Madagascar and South Asia, dense forests soon became thriving coffee and sugar plantations.—
Jay Cheshes,
Smithsonian Magazine,
20 May 2025
-
The latest season of The Voice is almost over, meaning one of the five remaining contestants will soon become the Season 27 champion.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Adverb
-
Almost, but not quite spontaneously, Adam and Teddy take off in Teddy’s truck, heading north, maybe to the arctic, maybe to just get out of town for a bit.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
-
Montverde won the final event, the 4×400 relay, in 3 minutes 45.5 seconds but that wasn’t quite enough.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2025
Adverb
-
Fox said that these dogs are fairly adaptable to different lifestyles, and emotionally in tune with their owners.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
-
Henrique provides an unexpected scoring punch Considering all the firepower on the Oilers, Adam Henrique’s name is fairly far down the list of those expected to provide an offensive impact.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
Adverb
-
Ethan tries to make a somewhat normal life for himself and even gets hitched.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
-
The trade: Calendar spread One way to make a bullish bet while risking somewhat less capital than buying the stock is with a calendar spread.—
,
CNBC,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rather.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rather. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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