You use rather when you are correcting something that you have just said, especially when you are describing a particular situation after saying what it is not.
Twenty million years ago, Idaho was not the arid place it is now. Rather, it waswarm and damp.
But there must be no talk of final victory; rather, the long, hard slog to a solution.
The process is not a circle but rather a spiral.
He explained what the Crux is, or rather, what it was.
Synonyms: more exactly, to be precise, more precisely, to be exact More Synonyms of rather
3.
See would rather
4. adverb [ADVERB adjective/adverb]
You use rather to indicate that something is true to a fairly great extent, especially when you are talking about something unpleasant or undesirable.
I grew up in rather unusual circumstances.
It had made some rather bad mistakes which I thought should be corrected.
He had had an excellent dinner at a rather good local hotel.
The first speaker began to talk, very fast and rather loudly.
We got along rather well.
I'm afraid it's rather a long story.
The reality is rather more complex.
As you can see, he did rather better for himself than I did.
...a figure rather too good to be true.
The fruit is rather like a sweet chestnut.
Robbie was there with his family, keeping rather in the background.
Synonyms: to some extent, quite, sort of [informal], kind of [informal] More Synonyms of rather
5. adverb [ADVERB before verb]
You use rather before verbs that introduce your thoughts and feelings, in order to express your opinion politely, especially when a different opinion has been expressed.
[politeness]
I rather think he was telling the truth.
I rather like the decorative effect.
6. convention
People sometimes say rather to express agreement or acceptance.
[British, mainly formal, old-fashioned]
'Well, he did have a sort of family connection with it, didn't he.'—'Oh yes. Rather.'
More Synonyms of rather
rather in British English
(ˈrɑːðə)
adverb(in senses 1-4, not used with a negative)
1.
relatively or fairly; somewhat
it's rather dull
2.
to a significant or noticeable extent; quite
she's rather dull
3.
to a limited extent or degree
I rather thought that was the case
4.
with better or more just cause
this text is rather to be deleted than rewritten
5.
more readily or willingly; sooner
I would rather not see you tomorrow
sentence connector
6.
on the contrary
it's not cold. Rather, it's very hot indeed
sentence substitute (ˈrɑːˈðɜː)
7.
an expression of strong affirmation, often in answer to a question
Is it worth seeing? Rather!
▶ USAGE Both would and had are used with rather in sentences such as I would rather (or had rather) go to the film than to the play. Had rather is less common and is now widely regarded as slightly old-fashioned
Word origin
Old English hrathor comparative of hræthready, quick; related to Old Norse hrathr
rather in American English
(ˈræðər; ˈrɑðər; for interj. ˈræˈðɜr; ˈrɑˈðɜr)
adverb
1. Obsolete
more quickly; sooner
2.
more willingly; preferably
would you rather have tea?
3.
with more justice, logic, reason, etc.
one might rather say
4.
more accurately; more precisely
his sister, or rather, stepsister
5.
on the contrary; quite conversely
not a help, rather a hindrance
6.
somewhat; to some degree
rather hungry
interjection
7. Chiefly British
yes; certainly
Idioms:
had rather
rather than
would rather
Word origin
ME < OE hrathor, compar. of hrathe, hræthe, quickly: see rathe
Examples of 'rather' in a sentence
rather
The tone of volume three is rather different.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those much derided experts have done rather a good job.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He would often rather we just go out for a meal or watch a movie together.
The Sun (2016)
It is possible that faces could make history less clear rather than more.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Because the voice came from a rather sweet little deer.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Sometimes you do rather want them to stop moaning and just enjoy it.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In fact the musical was alive and doing rather well back then.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The audience has come to see them rather than you.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They would much rather play than train.
The Sun (2017)
They tend to be looking for large family homes rather than buy-to-let purchases.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Tours nowadays are not as long as ours but the intensity is rather different.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The high street has got rather good at delivering special collections and designer collaborations.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
What he devised was rather like a weighing machine.
Gavin Weightman THE FROZEN WATER TRADE (2002)
This film is surprisingly warm and really rather sweet.
The Sun (2010)
Sometimes it felt rather like a job interview.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is pure fluff but it works rather well.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It really is rather wonderful to see it done properly.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We would much rather learn from it.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Indeed they rather took pride in not thinking about the ethics of their jobs at all.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They would rather not think about it at all.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She would rather talk about childcare and parental leave than immigration and welfare.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
These questions often divide rather than unite existing parties.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
To see why the distinction is misleading consider two rather different uses of the idea.
Hindess, Barry Choice, Rationality, and Social Theory (1988)
Does familiarity with male heroes not represent rather a good counterpoint?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Pearl spelt looks rather like pearl barley and can be used in similar ways.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It was a family matter rather than a football choice.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
One soon got used to the rather sweet smell in the air.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Religion is sometimes a radical rather than a conservative force.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
He rather shrank from seeing them both.
Frances Hodgson Burnett Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886)
The company is coping with the low oil price as well as it can and is rather better placed than most.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
My quarry is rather less benign.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
I lean towards the longer term rather than sooner.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The young researchers blanched; what had seemed sure in the lab seemed rather less certain when faced with the prospect of the press.
Oliver Morton Eating the Sun: How Plants Power the Planet (2007)
In other languages
rather
British English: rather /ˈrɑːðə/ ADVERB
You use rather to mean `a little bit'.
I thought the party was rather boring.
American English: rather
Arabic: بَلْ
Brazilian Portuguese: um tanto
Chinese: 倒是
Croatian: poprilično
Czech: poněkud
Danish: hellere
Dutch: ietwat
European Spanish: algo bastante
Finnish: aika melko
French: plutôt assez
German: ziemlich
Greek: μάλλον
Italian: piuttosto
Japanese: かなり
Korean: 상당히
Norwegian: heller
Polish: raczej
European Portuguese: bastante
Romanian: prea
Russian: скорее
Latin American Spanish: algo
Swedish: hellre
Thai: ค่อนข้าง
Turkish: oldukça
Ukrainian: дещо
Vietnamese: khá
Chinese translation of 'rather'
rather
(ˈrɑːðəʳ)
adv
(= somewhat) 相当(當) (xiāngdāng)
(= instead) 而 (ér)
rather a lot相当(當)多 (xiāngdāng duō)
I would rather go than stay我宁(寧)愿(願)走而不愿(願)留下来(來) (wǒ nìngyuàn zǒu ér bù yuàn liú xiàlái)
I'd rather not say我宁(寧)可不说(說) (wǒ nìngkě bù shuō)
rather than (= instead of) 而不是 (ér bùshì)
or rather (= more accurately) 或者更确(確)切地 (huòzhě gèng quèqiè de)
I rather think he won't come我的确(確)认(認)为(為)他不会(會)来(來) (wǒ díquè rènwéi tā bù huì lái)
All related terms of 'rather'
or rather
( more accurately ) 或者更确(確)切地 huòzhě gèng quèqiè de
rather than
( instead of ) 而不是 ér bùshì
rather a lot
相当(當)多 xiāngdāng duō
I'd rather not say
我宁(寧)可不说(說) wǒ nìngkě bù shuō
she does seem rather late
看来(來)她的确(確)是晚了 kànlái tā díquè shì wǎn le
I rather think he won't come
我的确(確)认(認)为(為)他不会(會)来(來) wǒ díquè rènwéi tā bù huì lái
I would rather go than stay
我宁(寧)愿(願)走而不愿(願)留下来(來) wǒ nìngyuàn zǒu ér bù yuàn liú xiàlái
I'd rather stay in than go out
我宁(寧)可呆在家里(裡)而不愿(願)出去 wǒ nìngkě dāi zài jiā li ér bù yuàn chūqù
he's rather hazy about the details
他对(對)细(細)节(節)有点(點)遮遮掩掩 tā duì xìjié yǒu diǎn zhēzhē-yǎnyǎn
it's meant for children rather than adults
专(專)门(門)用于(於)儿(兒)童而非成人 zhuānmén yòngyú értóng ér fēi chéngrén
(conjunction)
Definition
more truly or appropriately
She made students think for themselves, rather than telling them what to think.
Synonyms
instead of
as opposed to
1 (adverb)
Definition
more willingly
I'd rather stay at home than fight against the holiday crowds.
Synonyms
preferably
Take exercise, preferably in the fresh air.
sooner
They would sooner die than stay in London.
instead
Why don't we go away this weekend instead?
more readily
more willingly
2 (adverb)
Definition
to a limited extent
I'm afraid it's rather a long story.
Synonyms
to some extent
quite
I was doing quite well, but I wasn't earning a lot of money.
sort of (informal)
I sort of made my own happiness.
kind of (informal)
It was kind of sad, really.
a little
I'm getting a little tired of having to correct your mistakes.
a bit
This girl was a bit strange.
pretty (informal)
I had a pretty good idea what she was going to do.
fairly
We did fairly well.
relatively
The sums needed are relatively small.
somewhat
He concluded that Oswald was somewhat abnormal.
slightly
The house they moved to was slightly larger.
moderately
The machine operated moderately well.
to some degree
3 (adverb)
He explained what the Crux is, or rather, what it was.
Synonyms
more exactly
to be precise
more precisely
to be exact
strictly speaking
4 (adverb)
Synonyms
significantly
very
I am very grateful to you for all your help.
noticeably
a good bit
Usage note
It is acceptable to use either would rather or had rather in sentences such as I would rather (or had rather) see a film than a play. Had rather, however, is less common than would rather, and sounds a little old-fashioned nowadays.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of a bit
Definition
rather
This girl was a bit strange.
Synonyms
somewhat,
rather,
quite,
kind of (informal),
pretty,
fairly,
slightly,
moderately,
to some extent
in the sense of a little
Definition
to a small extent or degree
I'm getting a little tired of having to correct your mistakes.
Synonyms
to a small extent,
slightly,
to some extent,
to a certain extent,
to a small degree
in the sense of fairly
Definition
to a moderate degree or extent
We did fairly well.
Synonyms
moderately,
rather,
quite,
somewhat,
reasonably,
adequately,
pretty well,
tolerably,
passably
Synonyms of 'rather'
rather
Explore 'rather' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of instead
Definition
as a replacement or substitute for the person or thing mentioned
Why don't we go away this weekend instead?
Synonyms
rather,
alternatively,
preferably,
in preference,
in lieu,
on second thoughts
in the sense of kind of
Definition
to a certain extent
It was kind of sad, really.
Synonyms
rather,
quite,
sort of (informal),
a little,
a bit,
pretty (informal),
fairly,
relatively,
somewhat,
slightly,
moderately,
to some extent,
to some degree
in the sense of moderately
The machine operated moderately well.
Synonyms
reasonably,
rather,
quite,
fairly,
somewhat,
slightly,
to some extent,
to a degree,
in moderation,
within reason,
tolerably,
within limits,
passably
in the sense of pretty
Definition
fairly
I had a pretty good idea what she was going to do.
Synonyms
fairly,
rather,
quite,
kind of (informal),
somewhat,
moderately,
reasonably
in the sense of quite
Definition
to a greater than average extent
I was doing quite well, but I wasn't earning a lot of money.
Synonyms
somewhat,
rather,
fairly,
reasonably,
kind of (informal),
pretty (informal),
relatively,
moderately,
to some extent,
comparatively,
to some degree,
to a certain extent
in the sense of relatively
The sums needed are relatively small.
Synonyms
comparatively,
rather,
somewhat,
to some extent,
in or by comparison
in the sense of slightly
The house they moved to was slightly larger.
Synonyms
a little,
a bit,
somewhat,
moderately,
marginally,
a shade,
to some degree,
on a small scale,
to some extent or degree
in the sense of somewhat
Definition
rather
He concluded that Oswald was somewhat abnormal.
Synonyms
rather,
quite,
a little,
sort of (informal),
kind of (informal),
a bit,
pretty (informal),
fairly,
relatively,
slightly,
moderately,
to some extent,
to some degree
in the sense of sooner
Definition
rather
They would sooner die than stay in London.
Synonyms
rather,
more readily,
by preference,
more willingly
in the sense of sort of
Definition
as it were
I sort of made my own happiness.
Synonyms
rather,
somewhat,
as it were,
slightly,
moderately,
in part,
reasonably
Additional synonyms
in the sense of very
Definition
used to add emphasis to adjectives and adverbs that are able to be graded