English-Thai Dictionary

rather

ADV ค่อนข้าง  ค่อนข้างจะ  ออกจะ  อยากจะ  quite somewhat kon-kang

 

rather

ADV ถ้า จะ พูด ให้ ถูก  ta-ja-hai-phud-tuk

 

rather

ADV มากกว่า  preferably mak-kwa

 

rather

ADV ในทางตรงกันข้าม  on the contrary nai-tang-tron-kan-kam

 

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RATHER

adv. [I would rather go, or sooner go. The use is taken from pushing or moving forward. ] [L. ante, before. But he said, yea rather, happy are they that hear the word of God and keep it. Luke 11:28.] 1. More readily or willingly; with better liking; with preference or choice.
My soul chooseth strangling and death rather than life. Job 7:15.
Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:19; Psalm 84:1 .
2. In preference; preferably; with better reason. Good is rather to be chosen than evil. See Acts 5:29.
3. In a greater degree than otherwise.
He sought throughout the world, but sought in vain, and no where finding, rather fear'd her slain.
4. More properly; more correctly speaking.
This is an art which does mend nature, change it rather; but the art itself is nature.
5. Noting some degree of contrariety in fact.
She was nothing better, but rather grew worse. Mark 5:26; Matthew 27:24.
The rather, especially; for better reason; for particular cause.
You are come to me in a happy time, the rather for I have some sport in hand.
Had rather, is supposed to be a corruption of would rather.
I had rather speak five words with my understanding. 1 Corinthians 14:19.
This phrase may have been originally, "I'd rather, " for I would rather, and the contraction afterwards mistaken for had. Correct speakers and writers generally use would in all such phrases; I would rather, I prefer; I desire in preference.

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

RATHER

Rath "er, a. Etym: [Compar. of Rath, a.]

 

Defn: Prior; earlier; former. [Obs. ] Now no man dwelleth at the rather town. Sir J. Mandeville.

 

RATHER

Rath "er, adv. Etym: [AS. hrathor, compar. of hrathe, hræ \'ebe,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, 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, or would, rather go than stay. "I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousands words in an unknown tongue. " 1 Cor. xiv. 19. See Had rather, under Had.

 

New American Oxford Dictionary

rather

rath er |ˈraT͟Hər, ˈräT͟Hər, ˈrəT͟Hər ˈræðər | ▶adverb 1 (would rather ) used to indicate one's preference in a particular matter: would you like some wine, or would you rather stick to sherry? | she'd rather die than cause a scene | [ with clause ] : I'd rather you not tell him | “You'd better ask her. ” “I'd rather not. ” 2 [ as submodifier ] to a certain or significant extent or degree: she's been behaving rather strangely | he's rather an unpleasant man. • used before verbs as a way of making the expression of a feeling or opinion less assertive: I rather think he wants me to marry him | we were rather hoping you might do that for us. 3 used to precede an idea that is different or opposite to a previous statement: [ sentence adverb ] : There is no shortage of basic skills in the workplace. Rather, the problem is poor management. • more precisely (used to modify or clarify something previously stated ): I walked, or rather limped, the two miles home. • instead of; as opposed to: she seemed indifferent rather than angry. ▶exclam. |rɑːˈðəː |chiefly Brit. dated used to express emphatic affirmation, agreement, or acceptance: “You are glad to be home, aren't you? ” “Rather! ” PHRASES had rather would rather: I had rather not see him. rather you (or him or her, etc. ) than me used to convey that one would be reluctant oneself to undertake a particular task or project undertaken by someone else: “I'm picking him up after lunch. ” “Rather you than me. ”ORIGIN Old English hrathor ‘earlier, sooner, ’ comparative of hræthe ‘without delay, ’ from hræth ‘prompt ’ (see rathe ).

 

Rather, Dan

Rath er, Dan |ˈraT͟Hər ˈræðər | (1931 –), US journalist; full name Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr. He was the anchor of the CBS Evening News 1981 –2005 and the host of 48 Hours 1988 –2002. He wrote The Camera Never Blinks (1977 ) and Deadlines and Datelines (1999 ).

 

Oxford Dictionary

rather

ra ¦ther |ˈrɑːðə | ▶adverb 1 (would rather ) used to indicate one's preference in a particular matter: would you like some wine or would you rather stick to sherry? | she'd rather die than cause a scene | [ with clause ] : I'd rather you didn't tell him. 2 [ as submodifier ] to a certain or significant extent or degree: she's been behaving rather strangely | he's rather an unpleasant man. • used before verbs so as to make the expression of a feeling or opinion less assertive: I rather think he wants me to marry him | we were rather hoping you might do that for us. 3 used to suggest that the opposite of a previous statement is the case; on the contrary: [ sentence adverb ] : There is no shortage of basic skills in the workplace. Rather, the problem is poor management. • more precisely: I walked, or rather limped, the two miles home. • instead of; as opposed to: she seemed indifferent rather than angry. ▶exclamation |rɑːˈðəː |Brit. dated used to express emphatic affirmation, agreement, or acceptance: ‘You are glad to be home, aren't you? ’ ‘Rather! ’. PHRASES had rather literary or archaic would rather: I had rather not see him. rather you (or him or her etc. ) than me used to convey that one would be reluctant oneself to undertake a particular task undertaken by someone else. ORIGIN Old English hrathor ‘earlier, sooner ’, comparative of hræthe ‘without delay ’, from hræth ‘prompt ’ (see rathe ).

 

Rather, Dan

Rath er, Dan |ˈraT͟Hər ˈræðər | (1931 –), US journalist; full name Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr. He was the anchor of the CBS Evening News 1981 –2005 and the host of 48 Hours 1988 –2002. He wrote The Camera Never Blinks (1977 ) and Deadlines and Datelines (1999 ).

 

American Oxford Thesaurus

rather

rather adverb 1 I would rather stay home: sooner, by preference, preferably, by choice. 2 it's rather complicated: quite, a bit, a little, fairly, slightly, somewhat, relatively, to some degree, comparatively; informal pretty, sort of, kind of, kinda. 3 her true feelings —or rather, lack of feelings: more precisely, to be precise, to be exact, strictly speaking. 4 she seemed sad rather than angry: more; as opposed to, instead of. 5 it was not impulsive, but rather a considered decision: on the contrary, au contraire, instead.

 

Oxford Thesaurus

rather

rather adverb 1 I'd rather you went: by preference, sooner, preferably, from /by choice, more willingly, more readily; N. Amer. if I had my druthers. 2 it all sounds rather complicated: quite, a bit, a little, fairly, slightly, somewhat, relatively, to some degree /extent, comparatively, moderately; informal pretty, sort of, kind of, kinda, ish. 3 she was finally forced to confront her true feelings for him —or rather, her lack of feelings: more precisely, to be precise, to be exact, strictly speaking, correctly speaking. 4 she seemed indifferent rather than angry: more, more truly; as opposed to, instead of. 5 the judgement was not impulsive, but rather a carefully thought-out decision: on the contrary, quite the opposite, instead.

 

Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary

rather

rath er /rǽðə r |rɑ́ːðə /〖「より早く [速く ]」＞「(…よりも )むしろ 」〗副詞 比較なし (!｟コーパス ｠一般に ｟米 ｠よりも ｟英 ｠で好まれる ) 1 〖A rather than B /rather A than B 〗BよりもむしろA , BというよりはA (!A, Bは文法上同等な 名詞 形容詞 副詞 動詞 や句, 節; ↓コーパスの窓 (1 ); →not so much A as B ) ▸ Many people buy albums rather than singles .シングルよりむしろアルバムを買う人が多い ▸ I decided to take a walk rather than (to ) go [going ] straight home .私は家へまっすぐ帰るより, いっそ散歩しようと決めた (↓コーパスの窓 (2 ))▸ I, rather than John, should be blamed .ジョンよりむしろ私が責められるべきだ ▸ Philosophy chose me, rather than I chose philosophy .私が哲学を選んだというより, むしろ哲学が私を選んだのだ コーパスの窓 A rather than B /rather A than B 1 A と B の性質 not so much B as Aと同様に, AとBは意味的に何らかの共通する性質 尺度を含む必要がある ▸ John is clever rather than wise .ジョンは賢明というよりずる賢いのだ (≒John is not so much wise as clever. ) (!… than brave. (勇敢というよりずる賢い )のような対比は不自然. 対比の詳細については →on the other hand 読解のポイント ) 2 to 不定詞 主節にto不定詞が含まれる場合, rather thanの後はto不定詞またはdoingの形が可能だが, to不定詞のときはtoはしばしば省略される .2 a. 〖would rather do (than do )〗(…するより )むしろ …したい , …した方がいい (!(1 )｟くだけた話 ｠ではしばしば 'd ratherの形で. (2 ) prefer to do (rather than (to ) do )と違ってto doは通例従えないが ｟くだけて ｠では ｟まれ ｠にwould rather do than to doの形をとることがある; →prefer 他動詞 1b . (3 )had rather … は ｟まれ ｠) ▸ I would rather stay at home than go with him .彼といっしょに行くくらいならうちにいた方がいい ▸ I'd rather have been alone .私は一人でいれば [いたら ]よかった (!間違った選択に対する後悔を表す; 後悔の気持ちをより強く示すにはI wish I had been alone. という ) ▸ Would you rather work in movies or in television? テレビと映画ではどちらの仕事がお好きですか コミュニケーション 控えめな拒絶 A: Where are you going today? 今日はどこへ行くの .B: I'd rather not say . (どちらかというと )言いたくないわ .❢would ratherの直後にnotを伴って 「(むしろ )…したくない 」の意を表す .X: How about another cup of tea? お茶をもう1杯いかが?Y: No, thank you. I'd rather not . いや, 結構. 遠慮しておきます .❢相手の気持ちを思いやった控えめな断り方 (→mind 他動詞 1b 語法 ).語法 コーパス rather do thanの後は通例原形不定詞が続くが, would ratherの後に進行形が続く場合は, doingが好まれる ▸ I'd rather be speaking than sitting .座っているより話をしている方がいい b. 〖would rather (that )節 〗むしろ …だといいのに (!thatは通例省略; (that )節内は仮定法 ) ▸ We would rather he went out today .今日は彼が出かけてくれるといいんだが コミュニケーション 控えめな拒絶 A: Would you mind if I smoked? タバコを吸ってもいいですか .B: I'd rather you didn't . 吸わないでいただけたらと思います .❢相手の気持ちを思いやった控えめな断り方 (→mind 他動詞 1b 語法 ).語法 コーパス 1 that節中では現在 未来の状況を述べる時は通例仮定法過去を用い, 仮定法現在 (原形 )を用いるのは 〘まれ 〙 ▸ Some insurers would rather you not know about these policies .一部の保険業者は皆さんがこれらの約款を知っていなければいいと思っています 2 過去の状況を述べる時には仮定法過去完了を用いるが, この場合would ratherの代わりにwishを用いる方が普通 (→wish 他動詞 1 a ).3 ｟主に英 ｠〖通例肯定文で 〗かなり , 相当 ; やや , いくぶん , 思ったより (!程度に段階がある 形容詞 副詞 名詞 動詞 を修飾して ) . a. 〖rather ＋形容詞 /副詞 /動詞 〗▸ His hair is rather long .彼の髪はやや長めだ (!r á ther l ò ngよりr à ther l ó ngの方が強意的に響く ) コミュニケーション A: That's a bit excessive, isn't it? それちょっとやりすぎじゃないですか .B: I rather like this . 私はこれけっこう気に入っているんですが .❢like, think, suspect, hope, doubt, feel, wish, guess, expectなどの 動詞 の前で意味を弱め, (特に反対意見の中で )自分の考えを控えめに述べる時に .b. 〖a rather ＋形容詞 ＋名詞 /rather a (＋形容詞 )＋名詞 〗 (!前者の方が普通で, 後者は若干強意的; ↓語法 ) ▸ She has a rather [rather a ] thick neck .彼女はいくぶん太い首をしている ▸ His room was in rather a mess. ≒His room was rather messy .彼の部屋はけっこう散らかっていた (!形容詞 を伴わない場合はrather a … の語順のみ可能; ╳His room was in a rather mess. としない ) 語法 基本的に, ratherは C 名詞複数形や U 名詞は修飾できない. ただし, U 名詞でもfunなどのように形容詞的性質が強い場合は修飾可能 ▸ It was rather fun and I enjoyed it very much .それは思ったよりおもしろかったしすごく楽しかった 類義 ratherとfairly, pretty rather は fairly よりかたく強意的. またratherが通例好ましくない気持ちを表すのに対してfairlyは好ましい気持ちを表すことが多い ▸ The final exam was rather easy .最終試験は (手ごたえがないくらいに )簡単だった ▸ The final exam was fairly easy .最終試験は簡単だった (のでいい点が取れそうだ )ratherが好ましい意味を表す語と用いられると, しばしばratherに強勢が置かれてその程度が驚くほどであることを暗示する ▸ I thought his ideas were rather good actually .彼の考えは実際なかなかいいと思った (!actuallyが予想外であることを暗示 ) 特に ｟英 ｠でratherは控えめ表現として用いられることがあるので, 実際にはveryやextremelyの意で用いられることもある. さらに, fairly, quite, prettyと違って比較級やtooと共に用いることが可能 ▸ The backpack is rather too big to carry with me .そのリュックは私が持ち歩くにはやや大きすぎる ▸ He came home rather later than usual .彼はいつもより少し遅く帰宅した なお, pretty は ｟くだけて ｠で 形容詞 副詞 を強調し, ratherのように特別な暗示を伴うこともなく, 名詞 動詞 を修飾することもできない ▸ The singer is pretty good .その歌手は相当いいよ 4 〖前言を受けて 〗もっと正しくは (!しばしばor rather ) ; それどころか (!後続する内容を強調する; →actually 読解のポイント ) ▸ She began to sing, or rather to shout .彼女は歌い始めた, というか正確には叫び始めた ▸ I don't need your help. Rather , I want to do it by myself .助けはいりません, それどころか自力でやりたいのです 5 ｟英話 ややかたく やや古 ｠もちろんだ , そうだとも ▸ “Did you ever see that movie? ” “Rather ()!”「その映画を見たことはありますか 」「ありますとも 」n ò t A, but r á ther B AではなくてむしろBだ (!(1 )A, Bは 名詞 形容詞 動詞 など文法的に同等なもの. (2 )対比的に用いられる; →on the other hand 読解のポイント ) ▸ I didn't take a taxi, but rather drove to the airport .私はタクシーを拾わずに, 代わりに自分で運転して空港へ向かった R à ther y ò u than m é .｟英話 ｠＝better you than me .