What does instead mean?

Definitions for instead
ɪnˈstɛdin·stead

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word instead.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. alternatively, instead, or elseadverb

    in place of, or as an alternative to

    "Felix became a herpetologist instead"; "alternatively we could buy a used car"

  2. rather, insteadadverb

    on the contrary

    "rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left"; "he didn't call; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter"; "used English terms instead of Latin ones"

Wiktionary

  1. insteadadverb

    In the place of something (usually mentioned earlier); as a substitute or alternative

    I was going to go shopping, but I went dancing instead.

  2. Etymology: from ine + stede.

ChatGPT

  1. instead

    "Instead" is an adverb commonly used to indicate that one action or situation is being or should be replaced by another. It suggests an alternative or substitute in a scenario, referring to a different choice or option.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Insteadadverb

    in the place or room; -- usually followed by of

  2. Insteadadverb

    equivalent; equal to; -- usually with of

  3. Etymology: [Pref. in- + stead place.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Instead

    in-sted′, adv. in the stead, place, or room of. [M. E. in stede—A.S. on stede, in the place.]

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'instead' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1359

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'instead' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2635

  3. Adverbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'instead' in Adverbs Frequency: #126

Anagrams for instead »

  1. detains

  2. sainted

  3. stained

  4. satined

  5. destain

How to pronounce instead?

How to say instead in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of instead in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of instead in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of instead in a Sentence

  1. Timothy McVeigh:

    I determined that the best way would be to continue on as the Paul Revere type messenger instead of the John Brown type revolutionary, that you could accomplish maybe two in one.

  2. Gavin Newsom:

    James Gallagher knows that James Gallagher’s in trouble, and James Gallagher’s using this as a sideshow distraction to introduce another gun law, so hopefully people will not see and pay attention to James Gallagher terrible record on their quality of life, the governor needs to focus his efforts on things that will lower the cost of living for Californians, actually solve homelessness, instead of one-off gestures that are n’t going to do anything to stop gun violence.

  3. Keith Ellison:

    However, Ellison’s past associations and commentsmay trouble more moderate voters. Ellison’s 2006 run for Keith Ellison seat was plunged into controversy after the conservative PowerLineBlog.com found he had once identified with Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam and in 1998 was referring to himself as Keith X Ellison and Keith Ellison-Muhammed. The Washington Post reported that Keith Ellison had defended Farrakhan against accusations of anti-Semitism in 1989 and in 1990 had called affirmative action a sneaky form of compensation for slavery, calling instead for reparations. When the controversy erupted in 2006, Keith Ellison acknowledged Keith Ellison had worked with the group, but only for 18 months to help organize Farrakhan's 1995 Million Man March. Keith Ellison distanced Keith Ellison from both Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, and said Keith Ellison had n’t scruitinized the group's anti-Semitic positions appropriately. They were and are anti-Semitic, and I should have come to that conclusion earlier than I did, Keith Ellison said. Yet it is n’t the only controversy for Keith Ellison. In 2007, Keith Ellison made a comparison between Bush and 9/11 to Hitler and the 1933 Reichstag fire. 9/11 is the juggernaut in American history and it allows... it's almost like, you know, the Reichstag fire, after the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it, and it put the leader of that country [ Hitler ] in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted. He later clarified that he did indeed believe that Usama bin Laden was responsible for the terror attacks. But it was n’t the only controversy for Ellison in 2007, as he also backed a movement to impeach then-Vice President Dick Cheney over his alleged fabrication of intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. However, Brad Bannon believes that Ellison’s Muslim heritage could be a boost not a burden, especially in light of Trump’s elevation Sunday of controversial Breitbart boss Steve Bannon to chief strategist.

  4. Mike Pompeo:

    This is what's wrong, when the world doesn't focus on the things that are right, the things that matter, the things that impact real people's lives and instead you get caught up in silly gotcha game?

  5. Renae A. Sauter:

    Instead of barricading against change, lean in and allow it

Popularity rank by frequency of use

instead#1#1455#10000

Translations for instead

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"instead." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/instead>.

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    A descant
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    C exacerbate
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