Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [adverb rath -er, rah-th er; interjection rath -ur, rah-th ur]
- /adverb ˈræð ər, ˈrɑ ðər; interjection ˈræðˈɜr, ˈrɑˈðɜr/
- /ˈrɑːðə(r)/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [adverb rath -er, rah-th er; interjection rath -ur, rah-th ur]
- /adverb ˈræð ər, ˈrɑ ðər; interjection ˈræðˈɜr, ˈrɑˈðɜr/
Definitions of rather word
- adverb rather in a measure; to a certain extent; somewhat: rather good. 1
- adverb rather in some degree: I rather thought you would regret it. 1
- adverb rather more properly or justly; with better reason: The contrary is rather to be supposed. 1
- adverb rather sooner; more readily or willingly: to die rather than yield. 1
- adverb rather more properly or correctly speaking; more truly: He is a painter or, rather, a watercolorist. 1
- adverb rather on the contrary: It's not generosity, rather self-interest. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of rather
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English; Old English hrathor, comparative of hræth quick, rathe
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Rather
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
rather popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
rather usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for rather
adv rather
- a little — small in size; not big; not large; tiny: a little desk in the corner of the room.
- acceptably — capable or worthy of being accepted.
- alternately — in an alternating sequence or position
- alternatively — You use alternatively to introduce a suggestion or to mention something different to what has just been stated.
- appreciably — sufficient to be readily perceived or estimated; considerable: There is an appreciable difference between socialism and communism.
conj rather
- instead of — as a substitute or replacement; in the place or stead of someone or something: We ordered tea but were served coffee instead.
adjective rather
- adequately — as much or as good as necessary for some requirement or purpose; fully sufficient, suitable, or fit (often followed by to or for): This car is adequate to our needs. adequate food for fifty people.
adverb rather
- admissibly — In a manner that is admissible; acceptably.
- bearably — In a bearable manner.
- comparatively — in a comparative manner
- enough — As much or as many as required.
- ere — Before (in time).
conjunction rather
- oppositely — situated, placed, or lying face to face with something else or each other, or in corresponding positions with relation to an intervening line, space, or thing: opposite ends of a room.
- or — a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when either or both operands are positive.
Antonyms for rather
adverb rather
- frightfully — such as to cause fright; dreadful, terrible, or alarming: A frightful howl woke us.
Top questions with rather
- how old is dan rather?
- why did dan rather get fired?
- why is there something rather than nothing?
- what would you rather?
- who would you rather fuck?
- who sings rather be?
- who would you rather?
- what is dan rather doing now?
- why did president hoover help businesses rather than individuals?
- why would a landowner rather use slaves than indentured servants?
- which would you rather?
- what happened to dan rather?
- how to play would you rather?
- how to use rather?
- what would you rather do?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with r
- Words starting with ra
- Words starting with rat
- Words starting with rath
- Words starting with rathe
- Words starting with rather