rather

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   To a fairly large degree; quite.

   It was rather cold outside this morning.

2. 2
   adv

   Used to show what you prefer or would choose instead.

   I'd rather stay home tonight than go out.

3. 3
   adv

   Used to correct or give a more exact statement; or more precisely.

   It wasn't a mistake; rather, it was done on purpose.

Common collocations

• rather dull Adverb + adjective
• rather mediocre Adverb + adjective
• rather tedious Adverb + adjective

From Middle English rather, from Old English hraþor, comparative of hraþe (“soon, early, fast”). More at rathe. Cognate with Dutch radder (“faster”), comparative of Dutch rad (“fast; quick”), German Low German radd, ratt (“rashly; quickly; hastily”), German gerade (“even; straight; direct”). By surface analysis, rathe + -er.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images