Definitions for rather
ˈræð ər, ˈrɑ ðərrather

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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"

2. rather, kind of, kinda, sort ofadverb

   to some (great or small) extent

   "it was rather cold"; "the party was rather nice"; "the knife is rather dull"; "I rather regret that I cannot attend"; "He's rather good at playing the cello"; "he is kind of shy"

3. preferably, sooner, ratheradverb

   more readily or willingly

   "clean it well, preferably with warm water"; "I'd rather be in Philadelphia"; "I'd sooner die than give up"

4. quite, ratheradverb

   to a degree (not used with a negative)

   "quite tasty"; "quite soon"; "quite ill"; "quite rich"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. ratherverb

   To prefer; to prefer to.

2. ratheradverb

   More quickly; sooner, earlier.

3. ratheradverb

   Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably.

4. ratheradverb

   Used to introduce a contradiction; on the contrary.

5. ratheradverb

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

6. ratheradverb

   Somewhat, fairly.

7. Etymology: From rather, rether, from hraþor, comparative of hraþe, equivalent to. More at rathe.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ratheradverb

   Now out of use.

   Etymology: this is a comparative from rath; rað , Saxon, soon.

   1. More willingly; with better liking.

   Almighty God desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live. Common Prayer.

   2. Preferably to the other; with better reason.

   ’Tis rather to be thought, that an heir had no such right by divine institution, than that God should give such a right, but yet leave it undeterminate who such heir is. John Locke.

   3. In a greater degree than otherwise.

   He sought through the world, but sought in vain,
   And no where finding, rather fear’d her slain. Dryden.

   4. More properly.

   This is an art,
   Which does mend nature, change it rather, but
   The art itself is nature. William Shakespeare, Winter’s Tale.

   5. Especially.

   You are come to me in a happy time,
   The rather for I have some sport in hand. William Shakespeare.

   6. To have Rather. [this is, I think, a barbarous expression of late intrusion into our language, for which it is better to say will rather.] To desire in preference.

   ’Tis with reluctancy he is provoked by our impenitence to apply the discipline of severity and correction; he had rather mankind should adore him as their patron and benefactor. John Rogers, Sermons.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. rather

   Rather can be used as an adverb to mean "more willingly" or "to a higher degree" in comparison to something else. It can also be used to express preference or choice, indicating a preference for one option over another. Additionally, it can be used to indicate hesitation or doubt in a statement or to introduce a contrasting or unexpected idea.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ratheradjective

   prior; earlier; former

2. Ratheradjective

   earlier; sooner; before

3. Ratheradjective

   more readily or willingly; preferably

4. Ratheradjective

   on the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead

5. Ratheradjective

   of two alternatives conceived of, this by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat

6. Ratheradjective

   more properly; more correctly speaking

7. Ratheradjective

   in some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp

8. Etymology: [Compar. of Rath, a.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Rather

   räth′ėr, adv. more willingly: in preference: especially: more so than otherwise: on the contrary: somewhat, in some degree: more properly: (coll.) considerably, very much.—adj. Rath′erish, to a slight degree, somewhat.—Rather better than, somewhat in excess of.—The rather, by so much the more. [A.S. hrathor, comp. of hrathe, early.]

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. RATHER

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Rather is ranked #15309 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Rather surname appeared 1,917 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Rather.
   
   72.4% or 1,388 total occurrences were White.
   17.5% or 336 total occurrences were Black.
   4.6% or 89 total occurrences were Asian.
   2.8% or 55 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   2.2% or 43 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   0.3% or 6 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'rather' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #444

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'rather' in Written Corpus Frequency: #442

3. Adverbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'rather' in Adverbs Frequency: #61

How to pronounce rather?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say rather in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of rather in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of rather in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of rather in a Sentence

1. John Bel Edwards:

   I think getting eyes on the damage in person rather than reading about it, rather than hearing about it, rather than seeing it on TV is really important, because this is going to be a marathon, and we’re going to need a lot of help from our federal partners for a long time to come. And we need some of that help immediately.

2. California Gov. Gavin Newsom:

   There was a casual conversation about the 170 ventilators that came from the national stockpile directly to LA County, the conversation wasn't just about those 170, it was about the fact those 170 were not working, and rather than lamenting about it, rather than complaining about it, rather than pointing fingers, rather than generating headlines in order to generate more stress and anxiety, we got a car, and a truck, and we had those 170 brought here to this facility at 8 a.m. this morning.

3. Professor Robin Room:

   They are taxed on the value of the product as it is sold, rather than on any particular amount of alcohol it has in it, so the people who are making the expensive stuff are taxed at a higher rate, and if they don’t make the cheap stuff as well, they feel that they’re being treated rather badly.

4. Jack London:

   I would rather be ashes than dust I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.

5. John Nicholson:

   You may not know where you're going to fight or when you're going to fight. Therefore you need to focus on your readiness, being ready to fight sooner rather than later. Days rather than weeks.

Popularity rank by frequency of use