Rather

Adverb

 * 1)  More quickly; sooner, earlier.
 * 2) Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably.
 * I'd rather stay in all day than go out with them.
 * I'd like this one rather than the other one.
 * I'd rather be with you.
 * Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.
 * 1)  Used to introduce a contradiction; on the contrary.
 * It wasn't supposed to be popular; rather, it was supposed to get the job done.
 * She didn't go along, but rather went home instead.
 * 1)  Introducing a qualification or clarification; more precisely. (Now usually preceded by or.)
 * 2) *1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:
 * 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.
 * 1) * 1898, J. A. Hamilton, "Stanley, Edward George Geoffrey Smith", in Sidney Lee (Ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, Volume LIV: Stanhope–Stovin, The MacMillan Company, page 60,
 * His ‘Iliad’ is spirited and polished, and, though often rather a paraphrase than a translation, is always more truly poetic than most of the best translations.
 * I didn't want to leave. Or rather I did, just not alone.
 * 1)  Somewhat, fairly.
 * This melon is rather tasteless.
 * This melon is rather tasteless, especially compared to the one we had last time.
 * This melon is rather tasteless, especially compared to the one we had last time.

Synonyms

 * : liever, liefer, as lief
 * : somewhat, fairly, quite

Antonyms

 * utterly

Verb

 * 1)  To prefer; to prefer to.
 * 2) * 1984, Bruce Brooks, The Moves Make the Man:
 * Until just before the pie was popped into the heat. A few of them suddenly realized who put that gorgeous hunk of crackers together, and gaped. We grinned back, but very cool. The ones who knew said nothing, rathering to die than let on they had been hustled by two negative dudes.
 * 1) * 2002, Sarah Waters, Fingersmith:
 * It was a plain brown dress, more or less the colour of my hair; and the walls of our kitchen being also brown, when I came downstairs again I could hardly be seen. I should have rathered a blue gown, or a violet one
 * 1) * 2002, Elizabeth Bowen, The Heat of the Day:
 * So you must excuse my saying anything I did: all it was, that up to the very last I had understood us all to be friendly — apart, that is, from his rathering me not there. How was I to know he would flash out so wicked?
 * 1) * 2007, Mikel Schaefer, Lost in Katrina, page 323:
 * "That was a killer," said Chris. "I'd rathered die in St. Bernard than spent one minute over there. I would have rathered the storm, shaking with the wind and rain hitting in the boat for an eternity than spending any time there.

Thesaurus
OK, Roger, a bit, a little, a rebours, absolutely, acceptably, adequately, after all, again, against the grain, albeit, all right, all the same, alright, alrighty, alternately, alternatively, although, amen, arsy-varsy, as an alternative, as you say, assuredly, at all events, at any rate, aye, before, but, by all means, by choice, by contraries, by election, by proxy, by vote, certainly, choose, choose rather, contra, contrarily, contrariously, contrariwise, conversely, da, decently, even, even so, exactly, extremely, fairishly, fairly, fairly well, faute de mieux, favor, fine, first, for all that, good, good enough, have a bias, have preference, have rather, hear, honor before, howbeit, however, in a measure, in a way, in any case, in any event, in flat opposition, in its place, in its stead, in loco parentis, in preference, in some measure, indeed, indeedy, instead, inversely, it is that, ja, just so, just the opposite, just the same, kind of, lean towards, like better, mais oui, moderately, more, more or less, most assuredly, naturally, naturellement, nay rather, nevertheless, nonetheless, notwithstanding, of course, okay, on the contrary, oppositely, otherwise, oui, passably, per contra, please, positively, precisely, prefer, prefer to, preferably, presentably, pretty, pretty well, quite, quite the contrary, rather than, really, respectably, right, right as rain, right you are, righto, satisfactorily, scarcely, see fit, set before, slightly, so-so, somewhat, sooner, sooner than, sort of, still, sure, sure thing, surely, that is so, think best, think fit, think proper, though, to a degree, to be sure, to some extent, to the contrary, tolerably, topsy-turvy, tout au contraire, truly, unexceptionably, upside down, very, very well, vice versa, well and good, well enough, when, why yes, yea, yeah, yep, yes, yes indeed, yes indeedy, yes sir, yes sirree, yet, you are right, you said it, you speak truly

Etymology
From rather:, rether:, from  hraþor:, comparative of hraþe:, equivalent to. More at.

Pronunciation

 * ,, {{SAMPA|/"r\{D@`/}}
 * ,, {{SAMPA|/"r\{D@`/}}
 * ,, {{SAMPA|/"r\{D@`/}}

Adverb

 * Arabic: بالأحرى
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:, , 與其, 与其, 寧願, 宁愿
 * Dutch:
 * Estonian: ennem
 * Finnish: mieluummin, ennemmin
 * French:
 * German: ,
 * Italian: ,


 * Japanese: 寧ろ, ,
 * Latin:
 * Norwegian:, fortrinnsvis
 * Portuguese: preferivelmente, de preferência
 * Russian: ,
 * Spanish: preferiblemente
 * Swedish: ,
 * Welsh:


 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: ,
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish:
 * French:
 * German: ,
 * Greek:
 * Italian:


 * Japanese:
 * Norwegian:, nokså,
 * Portuguese: ,
 * Russian:
 * Spanish: ,
 * Swedish: ,
 * Welsh:


 * Dutch: ,
 * Italian:


 * Welsh: