Rather (Adverb)
Meaning 1
To a degree (not used with a negative); "quite tasty"; "quite soon"; "quite ill"; "quite rich".
Examples
- She was rather pleased with the outcome of the project.
- He's rather skilled at playing the guitar.
- The food was rather expensive but the quality was worth it.
- The city was rather crowded during rush hour.
- The concert tickets were rather hard to find due to high demand.
Synonyms
Meaning 2
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".
Examples
- The coffee was rather weak.
- The flowers in the garden are rather beautiful.
- He is rather old to be playing soccer.
- I rather think it's going to rain tomorrow.
- The restaurant is rather far from my house.
Synonyms
Meaning 3
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".
Examples
- She didn't dislike the new policy; rather, she thought it needed some adjustments.
- Rather than spend the whole day at the beach, they decided to visit the nearby museum.
- He didn't call; rather, he sent her a text message to apologize.
- The professor used simple examples rather than complex equations to explain the concept.
- The artist chose to paint with watercolors rather than oils for her latest project.