rather

CEFRA2

/ˈrad̪ʱə(r)/

adverb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adverb

    To some degree; fairly or quite.

  2. 02

    adverb

    Instead of or preferably over something else.

Examples

  • Many children would rather go online than watch television.

  • More people get into trouble for things they say rather than for what they do.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈrɑd̪ʱə(r)/

Deep Dive

adverb

Extra meanings

  1. Introducing a qualification or clarification; more precisely. (Now usually preceded by or.)

  2. Used to introduce a contradiction; on the contrary.

  3. Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably, in preference to. (Now usually followed by than)

More examples

In context

  • I s'pose we'd better clean the kitchen, but we had much rather not do anything right now.

  • I would like this one rather than the other one.

  • I'd rather not have spent all the money, but it really was an emergency.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After working for twelve hours straight, I would blank relax than go to the gym.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adverb

From Middle English rather, from Old English hraþor, comparative of hraþe (“soon, early, fast”). More at rathe. Cognate with Dutch radder (“faster”), comparative of Dutch rad (“fast; quick”), German Low German radd, ratt (“rashly; quickly; hastily”), German gerade (“even; straight; direct”). By surface analysis, rathe + -er.