RATHER • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Rather

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/rˈæðər/ /rˈəðər/ Listen

adverb

Rather adv.

1.

Earlier; sooner; before. (Obs.) "Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I." "A good mean to come the rather to grace."

2.

More readily or willingly; preferably. "My soul chooseth... death rather than my life."

3.

On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead. "Was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse."

4.

Of two alternatives conceived of, this by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat. "He sought throughout the world, but sought in vain, And nowhere finding, rather feared her slain."

5.

More properly; more correctly speaking. "This is an art Which does mend nature, change it rather, but The art itself is nature."

6.

In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp.

The rather, the more so; especially; for better reason; for particular cause. "You are come to me in happy time, The rather for I have some sport in hand."

Had rather, or Would rather, prefer to; prefers to; as, he had rather, or would rather go than stay. "I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." See Had rather, under Had.

adjective

Rather adj. Prior; earlier; former. (Obs.) "Now no man dwelleth at the rather town."

See images of 'Rather'

Etymology of 'Rather'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Rather" Quotes from Famous Books

... them to the command of a vessel of this character, instead of utilizing the services of men of questioned loyalty and doubtful allegiance to command our naval vessels? For such an act of base and unpardonable treachery is unthinkable to a Negro. Rather would he most willingly have seen his last drop of rich loyal blood flow in torrents of effusion than to leave to his progeny such a record of shame ...

— Kelly Miller's History of the World War for Human Rights • Kelly Miller

... views in the Prussian /Corpus Doctrinae/ (1567) and the execution of Funk the leading supporter of Osiandrism (1601). Another professor of Konigsberg at this period, Stancarus, maintained that Redemption is to be attributed to the human nature rather than to the divine nature of Christ, but he was expelled from the university, and denounced on all sides as ...

— History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French • Rev. James MacCaffrey

... David Boone all this time? Rather say, where was he not? Everywhere by turns, and nowhere long, was David to be seen, in the frenzy of his excitement. Conscience-smitten, for what he had done, or rather intended to do, he ran wildly about, making the most desperate ...

— Fighting the Flames • R.M. Ballantyne

... testimony, but would look on himself as obliged to use the same freedom and faithfulness as he had done before." And in a letter on Feb. 6. he desired that the persons, whose names were decyphered, might be acquainted with it, and concludes, "I desire none may be troubled on my behalf, but rather rejoice with him, who, with hope and joy, is waiting for his coronation-hour." Another time his mother asked him, How he was? He answered, He was well, but that since his last examination he could scarcely pray. At which she looked ...

— Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies) • John Howie

... romances of these two poets are widely different. With Sir Walter we are up among the hills, out on the wide moorland. With him we tramp the heather, and ford the rushing streams; his poems are full of healthy, generous life. With Byron we seem rather to be in the close air of a theater. His poems do not tell of a rough and vigorous life, but of luxury and softness; of tyrants and slaves, of beautiful houris and dreadful villains. And in the villains we always seem to see Byron himself, who tries to impress us with the fact that he is ...

— English Literature For Boys And Girls • H.E. Marshall

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