1
—used with the infinitive form of a verb to indicate negation as a contrary choice or wish
rather than continue the argument, he walked away
chose to sing rather than play violin
2
: and not
obscures rather than resolves the problem
why do one thing rather than another?
happy rather than sad
: instead of
rather than being pleased, she was angry
Examples of rather than in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Regular high school rather than a tennis academy?
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
New Atlas, 8 Feb. 2026
Now, as investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie focus on possible leads, Schweit and several other former FBI agents say the details released so far suggest the perpetrator likely had prior knowledge of the home or family, and a financial rather than ideological motivation for the crime.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rather than
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Conjunction
Her memories of Parchman as a bucolic place rather than as a prison remind me that the children who grew up on the grounds of Parchman probably saw the place the same way.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Regular high school rather than a tennis academy?
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Preposition
For now, the system remains at an early stage of research rather than a finished commercial technology.
—New Atlas, 8 Feb. 2026
Now, as investigators searching for Nancy Guthrie focus on possible leads, Schweit and several other former FBI agents say the details released so far suggest the perpetrator likely had prior knowledge of the home or family, and a financial rather than ideological motivation for the crime.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rather than
Cite this Entry
“Rather than.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rather%20than. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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