rather

The word “rather” means used to show a preference for one thing over another. In plain terms, a word for showing preference, degree, or a correction ("more precisely").

“Rather” is pronounced RAH-thuh (/ˈɹæðɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “rather” used in a sentence: “I would rather stay home than go to the party.”

“Rather” is an adverb.

The word “rather” comes from Old English. From Old English hraþor, "sooner, more quickly" — the comparative of a word meaning "swift.".

“Rather” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Rather” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: used to show a preference for one thing over another.

'Would rather' expresses a preference — choosing one option over another. 'I would rather walk' means walking is what you prefer. It is followed by a bare verb, and to add the rejected option you use 'than': 'I'd rather stay than go.' It is a polite, natural way to state what you favour.

Both introduce a rejected alternative and often swap freely. 'Rather than' tends to weigh two choices at the moment of deciding — 'walk rather than drive.' 'Instead of' stresses replacing one thing with another — 'tea instead of coffee.' In practice the difference is slight, and either usually sounds correct.

No. Rather has a second common use meaning 'fairly' or 'somewhat' — 'it's rather cold today,' 'a rather long film.' Here it softens or moderates rather than compares choices. A third use corrects a statement: 'not blue, or rather, teal.' Context shows whether it means preference, degree or correction.

Rather leans towards the formal and polite, and is especially common in British English. 'I'd rather not' sounds more refined than 'I don't want to.' It is perfectly fine in everyday speech, but in casual American English words like 'pretty' or 'kind of' often replace its 'fairly' sense.