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
Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Today, people view Covid-19 as an inconvenience of the past, rather than the biggest mass disabling event of our lifetime that continues to affect millions of people.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2025
Phillip MacIak, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2023
But others said that these technologies should be viewed as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, animal testing.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for rather than
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Conjunction
The playoff experience – which was a first for many Broncos players – is instrumental moving forward as Denver looks to take the next step into being a Super Bowl contender rather than just a fringe playoff team.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Today, people view Covid-19 as an inconvenience of the past, rather than the biggest mass disabling event of our lifetime that continues to affect millions of people.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2025
Preposition
Engelhardt’s essay is a pointed exploration of the way that advertising seeps into children’s television and a critique of TV aesthetics that dull rather than enliven young minds.
—Phillip MacIak, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2023
But others said that these technologies should be viewed as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, animal testing.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2023
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 21 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share