rather than

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word rather than. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word rather than, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say rather than in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word rather than you have here. The definition of the word rather than will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofrather than, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Conjunction

rather than

  1. And not.
  2. Used to indicate that the following alternative is less preferred.
    I'd like to go home early rather than risk the roads later.
    • 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
      According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.

Translations

Preposition

rather than

  1. instead of; in preference to.
    I'd prefer a dog rather than a cat.

Translations