rather
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
rather¹
- /ˈɹɑː.ðə(ɹ)/ UK
- /ˈɹæðɚ/ US
- [ˈɹæɾə]
- /ˈɹʌðə(ɹ)/ Southern US
- /ˈɹɛðəɹ/ Southern US
- /ˈɹɑːðə(ɹ)/ uncommon, Southern US
- /ˈɹɐː.ðə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈrɑd̪ʱə(r)/ South Asia
- /ˈrad̪ʱə(r)/ South Asia
- /ˌɹɑːˈðɜː(ɹ)/ UK
Rhymes with -ɑːðə(ɹ), -æðə(ɹ), -ʌðə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English rather, from Old English hraþor, comparative of hraþe (“soon, early, fast”). More at rathe. Cognate with Dutch radder (“faster”), comparative of Dutch rad (“fast; quick”), German Low German radd, ratt (“rashly; quickly; hastily”), German gerade (“even; straight; direct”). By surface analysis, rathe + -er.
adverb raither
- Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably, in preference to. (Now usually followed by than) I'd rather not have spent all the money, but it really was an emergency.
- Used to introduce a contradiction; on the contrary. It wasn't supposed to be popular; rather, it was supposed to get the job done.
- Introducing a qualification or clarification; more precisely. (Now usually preceded by or.) What the pupil already knew was indeed rather taken for granted than expressed, but it performed the useful function of transcending all textbooks, and supplanting all studies.
-
Somewhat, quite; to an unexpected degree.
It's been rather/quite a good meal overall, but this melon is rather too tasteless.
Similar: somewhat, fairly, actually, unexpectedly · Opposite: utterly
- More quickly. Pompey, being elated and filled with confidence by this victory, made all haste to engage Sertorius himself, and the rather lest Metellus should come in for a share in the honour of the victory.
adjective raither
- Prior; earlier; former. Now no man dwelleth at the rather town of Damietta.
interjection raither
- An enthusiastic affirmation. Would you like some? –Rather!
noun rathers · raither
- A choice or a preference. If I had my rathers I'd make up my own band. Art Blakey on the skins, Charlie Mingus on the bass, John Coltrane on the sax, Harry Edison on the horn-
verb rathers · rathering · rathered · raither
- To prefer; to prefer to. You'd rather us dead.
Rather²
proper noun Rathers
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: sooner, preferably, quite, sort of, kinda, kind of, instead, soon, than, whereas, moreover, however, meanwhile, previously, yet, almost
Translations
Every language
adv preferably
| Español | más bien |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 寧ろ mushiro, むしろ mushiro, 一層 isso |
| 中文 | 比較 /比较 bǐjiào, 與其 /与其 yǔqí, 寧願 /宁愿 nìngyuàn |
| Português | antes, preferivelmente, de preferência |
| Français | plutôt |
| Deutsch | eher, lieber |
| Italiano | preferibilmente, piuttosto |
| Română | mai degrabă |
| Русский | лу́чше lúčše, скоре́е skoréje |
| العربية | بِالْأَحْرَى bi-l-ʔaḥrā |
adv on the contrary
| Español | más bien |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 오히려 ohiryeo |
| 日本語 | 寧ろ mushiro |
| 中文 | 反而 fǎn'ér, 反倒 fǎndào |
| Português | ao contrário, aliás |
| Français | au contraire |
| Deutsch | im Gegenteil, sondern |
| Русский | скоре́е skoréje, напро́тив naprótiv |
adv more precisely
| Español | más bien |
|---|---|
| Português | mais, ou seja, melhor dizendo, ou melhor |
| Deutsch | eher, um genau zu sein |
| Русский | верне́е vernéje |
Talk about this word "rather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rather. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rather. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rather "rather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rather.Cite this
@misc{rather_2026,
title = {rather},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rather},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
