Kilo Lingo

/ˈrɑː.ðə/

Line drawing of rather
Coloured illustration of rather
#589 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

Quite; to some degree. It can also mean instead, as in would rather.

Word origin

From Old English hrathor, meaning more quickly or sooner, later meaning more willingly.

Origin
Old English
Root
hrathor

Examples

.

Here "rather" means "quite", so the film was somewhat long.

.

"Would rather" means you choose one thing instead of another.

.

Here "rather" means "a little" or "to some degree".

Where this fits

Used in

Grammar articles

(30)

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rather: worksheet, infographic and listicle

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This word is part of lesson 12.