To prefer; to prefer to.
"When asked whether she wanted tea or coffee, she rather had a cup of tea."
"I rather regret not saving more money last year."
Prior; earlier; former.
"The rather version of this software is outdated compared to the current release."
In plain English: Rather means quite or fairly, used to show something is good enough but not perfect.
"The soup was rather salty, so I added some water."
more readily or willingly
"clean it well, preferably with warm water"
"I'd rather be in Philadelphia"
"I'd sooner die than give up"
More quickly.
"He ran rather faster than he had expected to finish before sunset."
In plain English: Rather means fairly or quite when used to describe something that is good, bad, or extreme.
"The weather is rather cold today."
An enthusiastic affirmation.
"That is rather true, I completely agree with you."
A surname.
"My colleague's last name is Rather, which often makes people misspell it as "rater.""
Rather comes from the Old English word hraþor, which originally meant "soon" or "fast." The term traveled into Middle English as a comparative form before evolving to its current meaning of indicating preference or degree.