Definitions for rather
ˈræð ər, ˈrɑ ðərrather

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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"

Wiktionary(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

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 Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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.]

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. Benjamin Andrews:

   In that event, huge pumps were used to spray the advancing lava with seawater -- but this effort did not stop the flow, rather it redirected the flow and prevented it from inundating the harbor.

2. Cameron Heron:

   It was horrendous to watch. She was throwing up all this blood and skin. I really thought she was going to die. While doctors managed to stabilize Heron, the condition continued to ravage her body, leaving the skin on her face, chest, back, and arms so burnt that it fell away. Her lips also swelled to the point where they burst and her mouth became covered in painful ulcers. Doctors told us it was one of the worst cases they had ever seen, Carmen Heron said. Danika was barely conscious most of the time, and had this button to press to get pain relief when it became too much. Her organs were failing and she had so much internal scarring. She was being burnt from the inside out. Her entire body was bandaged, and when the dressings were removed, her skin came away too. Finally, after three weeks, Heron slowly began to rally and was discharged six days later. But, her journey was far from over, as she was left with side-effects such as the loss of her hair and nails. Her skin is still healing to this day and she also needs hearing aids as the insides of her ears are so scarred. As well as the physical fallout, she is also fighting the emotional legacy of SJS, having suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Were still dealing with SJS - it didnt stop when we left hospital, Carmen Heron said. Danika will have days where she feels incredibly low and struggles with flashbacks of being in hospital. Thankfully, if she feels that way, she will phone us right away. We have found that, as a family, its good to talk rather than bottle everything up, however difficult those memories might be. Another side-effect of Heronsordeal was the warning by doctors that, due to the amount of internal scarring she had sustained, it was unlikely she would ever conceive. According to the U.S. Library of National Medicine, SJS and TEN often cause the tissue around the mucous membranes which line various cavities in the body, including the eyes, ears, mouth, vagina, and urethra, as well as covering the organs to die. As a result, women can experience vaginal lesions that lead to painful intercourse, difficulty conceiving, and even infertility. The doctors said they could refer her to a gynecologist to run some tests, but she never went I think she didnt want to hear the answers, Carmen Heron said. But, in December 2018, the Heron family received some news they thought they would never hear. Danika rang me crying. I immediately panicked and said, Whats wrong ?

3. Wayne Messam:

   'Black lives matter' doesn't mean that all lives do not matter, rather it is a cry for equal treatment in the greater circle of justice for all Americans.

4. Peter Slavey:

   People say The President doesn't control gas prices with a magic lever, but you can trace back to the executive order to shut down that pipeline, it does have an effect, and I think it's more of just a shutdown for image rather than looking at the actual effects of things.

5. United States:

   The The Vinson group is commanded from Hawaii, rather than the United States military base in Japan, so The Carl Vinson group's a clear American initiative not a Japanese or South Korea one, the Carl Vinson group may defuse attempts to link Japan and South Korea one and thus limit the possibility of any North Korean aggression against them.

Popularity rank by frequency of use