ALL meanings of rather
rath·er
R r - 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
- adverb rather rather than, instead of: Tutoring is provided by older students rather than teachers. Rather than complain, you should try to make changes. 1
- idioms rather had / would rather, to prefer that or to: I had much rather we not stay. We would rather go for dinner after the show. Compare soon (def 8). 1
- adjective rather Archaic. growing, blooming, or ripening early in the year or season. 1
- adverb rather to some degree 1
- adverb rather prefer 1
- adverb rather somewhat 1
- adverb rather more truly 1
- interjection rather Assuredly! 1
- adverb rather 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. 0
- adverb rather You use rather to indicate that something is true to a fairly great extent, especially when you are talking about something unpleasant or undesirable. 0
- adverb rather 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. 0
- convention rather People sometimes say rather to express agreement or acceptance. 0
- adverb rather relatively or fairly; somewhat 0
- adverb rather to a significant or noticeable extent; quite 0
- adverb rather to a limited extent or degree 0
- adverb rather with better or more just cause 0
- adverb rather more readily or willingly; sooner 0
- sentence connector rather on the contrary 0
- sentence substitute rather an expression of strong affirmation, often in answer to a question 0
- adverb rather more quickly; sooner 0
- adverb rather more willingly; preferably 0
- adverb rather with more justice, logic, reason, etc. 0
- adverb rather more accurately; more precisely 0
- adverb rather on the contrary; quite conversely 0
- adverb rather somewhat; to some degree 0
- interjection rather yes; certainly 0