Dictionary
1rather than
conjunction
Definition of RATHER THAN
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>
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First Known Use of RATHER THAN
14th century
Rhymes with RATHER THAN
advance man, Alcoran, also-ran, Ameslan, anchorman, as one man, astrakhan, Astrakhan, ataman, Athelstan, attackman, balmacaan, Bantustan, bartizan, black-and-tan, bogeyman, boogeyman, businessman, Caliban, cameraman, caravan, cattleman, Civitan, cornerman, counterman, counterplan, countryman, courtesan, cutoff man, dairyman, defenseman, detail man, everyman, exciseman, expressman, family man, fancy-dan, fancy man, frying pan, funnyman, gamelan, garageman, garbageman, Hamadan, handyman, harmattan, hatchet man, Hindustan, hotelman, in the can, Isle of Man, jerrican, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, leading man, man-for-man, man-to-man, master plan, middleman, minivan, minuteman, Monaghan, moneyman, mountain man, muscleman, Occitan, ombudsman, Omdurman, overman, Pakistan, Parmesan, partisan, pattypan, Peking man, Peter Pan, pivotman, plainclothesman, Port Sudan, Powhatan, repairman, rewrite man, safetyman, sandwich man, selectman, serviceman, signalman, spick-and-span, superman, tallyman, tamarin, to a man, triggerman, trimaran, turbofan, Turkistan, vacuum pan, weatherman, workingman, yataghan
2rather than
preposition
Definition of RATHER THAN
: instead of <rather than being pleased, she was angry>
First Known Use of RATHER THAN
1595
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