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[ US /ˈɹæðɝ, ˈɹəðɝ/ ]
[ UK /ɹˈɑːðɐ/ ]
ADVERB
  1. on the contrary
    used English terms instead of Latin ones
    he didn't call; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter
    rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left
  2. to a degree (not used with a negative)
    quite rich
    quite ill
    quite soon
    quite tasty
  3. to some (great or small) extent
    I rather regret that I cannot attend
    he is kind of shy
    it was rather cold
    He's rather good at playing the cello
    the knife is rather dull
    the party was rather nice
  4. more readily or willingly
    I'd sooner die than give up
    clean it well, preferably with warm water
    I'd rather be in Philadelphia

How To Use rather In A Sentence

  • Beard is rather dismissive of their optical sophistication, shown in the curvature of the stylobate and in the entasis of the columns — the slight outward swelling of a column designed to counter the optical illusion of concavity, were the columns 'sides to be perfectly straight. Looking for the Lost Greeks
  • This contact of his had passed on to him a list of slightly disreputable jewelers and watchmakers in the area, on which I was rather impressed and a bit taken aback to find my appearance.
  • Warner wrote from Egypt expressing sympathy for their unfurnished state of affairs, but added, "I would rather fit out three houses and fill them with furniture than to fit out one 'dahabiyeh'. Mark Twain, a Biography. Complete
  • People were gulping down sundowners, women seemed to be, rather disinterestedly, sipping their drinks and picking up a bite.
  • Ballymaloe take a more seasonal approach to things by using redcurrant rather than lemon juice, made by simmering a couple of punnets of the astringent little fruits with water, and then pushing them through a sieve. How to make perfect strawberry jam
  • She is "not a medium", we are told, but rather "a supersensory explorer who has been trained in the cosmic language of symbols for more than 20 years. British Blogs
  • He is my cousin or rather my 'father's cousin.
  • The film had a rather tired plot.
  • Under the "fly-in fly-out" roster system, workers can be moved to a different self-contained unit, or "donga", rather than having their own rooms, as they have had in the past. Latest News - Yahoo!7 News
  • It is the failure of the diaphragmatic pinchcock to open, as in the normal deglutitory cycle, rather than a spasmodic tightness, that obstructs the food. Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery
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