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
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Most of my more complex questions and follow-ups were met with links to websites rather than direct answers.
—PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
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
But Bird belongs to Bailey, and to first-timer Adams, who does a winning job of being unpredictable herself, even if the film would be better off delving deeper into one of the relationships in her life rather than dipping into all of them in turn.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Most of my more complex questions and follow-ups were met with links to websites rather than direct answers.
—PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024
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
Dictionary Entries Near rather than
Cite this Entry
“Rather than.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rather%20than. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share