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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
rather
predeterminer
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(far/rather/a little) too much
▪ There was too much work for one person.
▪ It would cost far too much to have the thing repaired.
or rather
▪ John picked us up in his car, or rather his dad’s car which he’d borrowed.
rather/fairly excessive
▪ I think £100 for a meal is rather excessive, to say the least.
rather/pretty expensive (=more expensive than you expect)
▪ I think £1000 for a bed is rather expensive.
rather/pretty/quite/fairly unlikely
▪ I may have thrown it away by mistake, but that’s pretty unlikely.
rather/somewhat/quite/fairly unusual
▪ The design of the house was somewhat unusual.
somewhat/rather relieved (=fairly relieved – often used when someone is actually very relieved)
▪ I was somewhat relieved to hear the wine was £20, not £200 a bottle.
would rather/sooner (=used to say what someone prefers)
▪ I’d rather stay in this evening, if that’s all right with you.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I'd rather die
▪ Apologize to that creep! I'd rather die!
▪ I'd rather die than work for my uncle.
▪ I'd rather die than eat.
▪ I'd rather die than go back out the way I was.
not merely/rather than merely
would rather/would sooner ... than
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Rather

Rather \Rath"er\ (r[a^][th]"[~e]r), a. [Compar. of Rath, a.] Prior; earlier; former. [Obs.]

Now no man dwelleth at the rather town.
--Sir J. Mandeville.

Rather

Rather \Rath"er\ (r[a^][th]"[~e]r; 277), adv. [AS. hra[eth]or, compar. of hra[eth]e, hr[ae][eth]e, quickly, immediately. See Rath, a.]

  1. Earlier; sooner; before. [Obs.]

    Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I.
    --Chaucer.

    A good mean to come the rather to grace.
    --Foxe.

  2. More readily or willingly; preferably.

    My soul chooseth . . . death rather than my life.
    --Job vii. 15.

  3. On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead.

    Was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.
    --Mark v. 26.

  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.
    --Dryden.

  5. More properly; more correctly speaking.

    This is an art Which does mend nature, change it rather, but The art itself is nature.
    --Shak.

  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.
    --Shak.

    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.''
    --1 Cor. xiv. 19. See Had rather, under Had.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
rather

Old English hraþor "more quickly, earlier, sooner," also "more readily," comparative of hraþe, hræþe "quickly, hastily, promptly, readily, immediately," which is related to hræð "quick, nimble, prompt, ready," from Proto-Germanic *khratha- (cognates: Old Norse hraðr, Old High German hrad), from PIE *kret- "to shake." The base form rathe was obsolete by 18c. except in poetry (Tennyson); superlative rathest fell from use by 17c. Meaning "more willingly" is recorded from c.1300; sense of "more truly" is attested from late 14c.\n\nThe rather lambes bene starved with cold\n

[Spenser, "The Shepheardes Calender" (Februarie), 1579]

Wiktionary
rather
  1. (context obsolete English) Prior; earlier; former. adv. 1 (context obsolete English) More quickly; sooner, earlier. (9th-19th c.) 2 Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably. (Always with '''would''' - normally contracted to ''''d'''). (Now usually followed by '''than''') (from 9th c.) 3 (context conjunctive English) Used to introduce a contradiction; on the contrary. (from 14th c.) 4 (context conjunctive English) Introducing a qualification or clarification; more precisely. (Now usually preceded by '''or'''.) (from 15th c.) v

  2. (context nonstandard or dialectal English) To prefer; to prefer to.

WordNet
rather
  1. adv. on the contrary; "rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left"; "he didn't call; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter"; "used English terms instead of Latin ones" [syn: instead]

  2. to some (great or small) extent; "it was rather cold"; "the party was rather nice"; "the knife is rather dull"; "I rather regret that I cannot attend"; "He's rather good at playing the cello"; "he is kind of shy" [syn: kind of, kinda, sort of]

  3. more readily or willingly; "clean it well, preferably with warm water"; "I'd rather be in Philadelphia"; "I'd sooner die than give up" [syn: preferably, sooner]

  4. to a degree (not used with a negative); "quite tasty"; "quite soon"; "quite ill"; "quite rich" [syn: quite]

Wikipedia
Rather

Rather may refer to:

  • Ratherius, bishop of Verona
  • Dan Rather, news presenter
  • Elizabeth Rather, expert in the computer programming language Forth
  • Susan Rather, character in 555 (1988 film)

Usage examples of "rather".

In truth, she wondered that Tane did not suspect Asara of being an Aberrant, but it seemed that he would rather not know.

Hutchinson has little leisure for much praise of the natural beauty of sky and landscape, but now and then in her work there appears an abiding sense of the pleasantness of the rural world--in her day an implicit feeling rather than an explicit.

But this is not your fight, and if things do not go well aboard Persephone I rather fear there will be little quarter, given or taken.

He felt in no mood for conversation, and as he sipped his absinth he let his mind run rather sorrowfully over the past few weeks of his life.

The several substances, which are completely dissolved by the secretion, and which are afterwards absorbed by the glands, affect the leaves rather differently.

Points A, B, and X are merely bifurcations rather than an abutment of two ridges at an angle.

A woman raised in an environment so full of honor and respect, and someone who, according to the academician, led her whole family around by their noses, had thought it worthwhile to talk to him, and in a way that came rather close to friendliness.

In our space-time, the acausal eschaton particle is always in the future, rather like the singularity inside a black hole.

He thought it desperate to tarry, 115 And venture to be accessary But rather wisely slip his fetters, And leave them for the Knight, his betters.

Rather than take the time to cross on the bridge, she waded into the acequia, the water coming only to her knees.

They seemed to find her lack of response rather daunting, even the more acerbic Gelana.

These juices, together with those of the pear, the peach, the plum, and other such fruits, if taken without adding cane sugar, diminish acidity in the stomach rather than provoke it: they become converted chemically into alkaline carbonates, which correct sour fermentation.

My answers were rather obscure in such matters as I was not specially acquainted with, but they were very clear concerning her disease, and my oracle became precious and necessary to her highness.

Whatever advantages might be derived from the acquisition of an Imperial proselyte, he was distinguished by the splendor of his purple, rather than by the superiority of wisdom, or virtue, from the many thousands of his subjects who had embraced the doctrines of Christianity.

Cyril, who, since his death, has been honored with the title of Saint, were displayed in the exercise, rather than in the acquisition, of his episcopal dignity.