Rather
['rɑːðə] or ['ræðɚ]
Definition
(adv.) 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'.
(adv.) 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'.
Checker: Shelia--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Prior; earlier; former.
(a.) Earlier; sooner; before.
(a.) More readily or willingly; preferably.
(a.) On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead.
(a.) Of two alternatives conceived of, this by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat.
(a.) More properly; more correctly speaking.
(a.) In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp.
Editor: Omar
Synonyms and Synonymous
ad. [1]. Preferably, in preference.[2]. Moderately, in some measure, in some degree.
Edited by Janet
Definition
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.
Typed by Aileen
Examples
- Your circle is rather different from ours. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- I could tell you a story about that same uncle, gentlemen, that would rather surprise you. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- In speaking of education Plato rather startles us by affirming that a child must be trained in falsehood first and in truth afterwards. Plato. The Republic.
- The offered hand--rather large, but beautifully formed--was given to me with the easy, unaffected self-reliance of a highly-bred woman. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Which would you rather smell? Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- No, it is not selfishness or conceit, said he, answering, as was his wont, my thoughts rather than my words. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- For my part, I would rather not enter. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner. Plato. The Republic.
- Rather a pleasant year on the whole! Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- He dreaded to hear that something had been said to Mary--he felt as if he were listening to a threat rather than a warning. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- At this time of the morning, it would be rather too good a--Well, I don't know, my dear--you may do that again, if you please. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- I fancy I am rather a favourite; he took notice of my gown. Jane Austen. Emma.
- Yet this consideration does not, or rather did not in after time, diminish the reproaches of my conscience. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- I felt I might, without indelicacy, because the evening she dined with us she rather suggested . Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- At the foot of this slant is the walled town of Gibraltar--or rather the town occupies part of the slant. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- She was rather surprised at Dr. Donaldson's early visit, and perplexed by the anxious faces of husband and child. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. North and South.
- I handed it back to Mr. Murthwaite, and owned that this curious specimen of Hindoo correspondence rather puzzled me. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Her father privately married again--his cook, I rather think. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- After all, I'd rather know the truth. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- I had always rather a noticing way--not a quick way, oh, no! Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- It was very pretty to look at, but seemed to have the effect of rendering surrounding objects rather darker than before. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- He was mentally the new thing in history, negligent of and rather ignorant of the older things out of which his new world had arisen. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Perhaps I had better say, that you must submit to be mildly bored rather than to go on working. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- Against artillery of the present day the land forts and walls would prove elements of weakness rather than strength. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Tom looked surprised, and rather hurt, and said, I never drink, Mas'r. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- I'm too young, faltered Meg, wondering why she was so fluttered, yet rather enjoying it. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- It was in those days rather a rare accomplishment, and led to her engagement with the orthodox Miss Pinkerton. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- His face was as fiery as ever; his eyes were as small, and rather deeper set. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- It was therefore from the beginning a divided thing of uncertain power, a claim and an argument rather than a necessary reality. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- I'm rather thick in my breath. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
Typed by Aileen