Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to rather
Participle: rathered
Gerund: rathering
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | rather |
| you | rather |
| he;she;it | rathers |
| we | rather |
| you | rather |
| they | rather |
Perfect
| I | have rathered |
| you | have rathered |
| he;she;it | has rathered |
| we | have rathered |
| you | have rathered |
| they | have rathered |
Past
| I | rathered |
| you | rathered |
| he;she;it | rathered |
| we | rathered |
| you | rathered |
| they | rathered |
Pluperfect
| I | had rathered |
| you | had rathered |
| he;she;it | had rathered |
| we | had rathered |
| you | had rathered |
| they | had rathered |
Future
| I | will rather |
| you | will rather |
| he;she;it | will rather |
| we | will rather |
| you | will rather |
| they | will rather |
Future Perfect
| I | will have rathered |
| you | will have rathered |
| he;she;it | will have rathered |
| we | will have rathered |
| you | will have rathered |
| they | will have rathered |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | rather |
| you | rather |
| he;she;it | rather |
| we | rather |
| you | rather |
| they | rather |
Perfect
| I | have rathered |
| you | have rathered |
| he;she;it | have rathered |
| we | have rathered |
| you | have rathered |
| they | have rathered |
Imperfect
| I | rathered |
| you | rathered |
| he;she;it | rathered |
| we | rathered |
| you | rathered |
| they | rathered |
Pluperfect
| I | had rathered |
| you | had rathered |
| he;she;it | had rathered |
| we | had rathered |
| you | had rathered |
| they | had rathered |
Conditional
Present
| I | would rather |
| you | would rather |
| he;she;it | would rather |
| we | would rather |
| you | would rather |
| they | would rather |
Perfect
| I | would have rathered |
| you | would have rathered |
| he;she;it | would have rathered |
| we | would have rathered |
| you | would have rathered |
| they | would have rathered |
Imperative
| you | rather |
| we | Let's rather |
| you | rather |
Verbs conjugated like 'rather'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'rather'
father,
gather,
lather,
rathel,
atter,
bathe,
batter,
blather,
bother,
brother,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
From Middle English rather, from Old English hraþor, comparative of hraþe (“soon, early, fast”). More at rathe. Cognate with Dutch radder (“faster”), comparative of Dutch rad (“fast; quick”), German Low German radd, ratt (“rashly; quickly; hastily”), German gerade (“even; straight; direct”). By surface analysis, rathe + -er.
Sample Sentences
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You'd rather us be dead.
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Until just before the pie was popped into the heat. A few of them suddenly realized who put that gorgeous hunk of crackers together, and gaped. We grinned back, but very cool. The ones who knew said nothing, rathering to die than let on they had been hustled by two negative dudes. [1984, Bruce Brooks, The Moves Make the Man:]
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It was a plain brown dress, more or less the colour of my hair; and the walls of our kitchen being also brown, when I came downstairs again I could hardly be seen. I should have rathered a blue gown, or a violet one; […] [2002, Sarah Waters, chapter 2, in Fingersmith, London: Virago, →ISBN, part 1, page 38:]
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So you must excuse my saying anything I did: all it was, that up to the very last I had understood us all to be friendly — apart, that is, from his rathering me not there. How was I to know he would flash out so wicked? [2002, Elizabeth Bowen, The Heat of the Day:]
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"That was a killer," said Chris. "I'd rathered die in St. Bernard than spent one minute over there. I would have rathered the storm, shaking with the wind and rain hitting in the boat for an eternity than spending any time there. [2007, Mikel Schaefer, Lost in Katrina, page 323:]