eher

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German

Etymology

From Old High German ēr (formerly, previously). Cognate with Old English ǣr, English ere, Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌹𐍃 (airis, formerly).[1] From *airiz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈeːəʁ/,
  • Audio:(file)

Adverb

eher

  1. rather, somewhat, quite
    Es scheint eher unwahrscheinlich, dass sie jemals ins Ausland gehen wird.
    It seems rather unlikely that she will ever go abroad.
    • 2010, Der Spiegel, number 45/2010, page 17:
      Eine Paketbombe, die Anfang vergangener Woche im Kanzleramt eintraf, war von eher geringer Sprengkraft.
      A parcel bomb, which arrived in the Chancellery at the beginning of last week, was of somewhat smaller explosive force.
    • 2012 June 18, Die Welt, archived from the original on 12 April 2013, page 10:
      Die Verbraucher in Deutschland halten sich beim Konsum von Fisch angesichts hoher Preise eher zurück.
      Consumers in Germany are rather reluctant to consume fish in the face of high prices.
  2. earlier, sooner
    Es tut mir leid, aber ich kann nicht eher kommen.
    I'm sorry, but I can't come any earlier.
  3. prefer to, rather, sooner (indicating a preference, often used sarcastically)
    Ich glaube, du würdest eher über Bier als über uralte Geschichte reden.
    I think you'd rather talk about beer than ancient history.
    Eher will ich einen Affen heiraten als dich!
    I'd sooner marry an ape than you!
  4. more likely, more possible, more like
    Sie behaupten, die Goldbachsche Vermutung bewiesen zu haben, aber eher haben Sie einen Fehler gemacht.
    You claim to have proven Goldbach's Conjecture, but it's more likely you made a mistake.
    Du scheinst nicht im mittleren Alter zu sein, eher alt.
    You don't seem to be middle-aged, more like old.

See also

References

  1. ^ Friedrich Kluge (1883) “eher”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Further reading