Rather vs Otherwise - What's the difference?

In conjunctive terms the difference between rather and otherwise

is that rather is introducing a qualification or clarification; more precisely. (Now usually preceded by or. while otherwise is in all other respects.

As adverbs the difference between rather and otherwise

is that rather is more quickly; sooner, earlier while otherwise is differently, in another way.

As adjectives the difference between rather and otherwise

is that rather is prior; earlier; former while otherwise is other than supposed; different.

As a verb rather

is to prefer; to prefer to.

rather

English

Adverb

(-)

(obsolete) More quickly; sooner, earlier.

Used to specify a choice or preference; preferably. (Now usually followed by than )

Firstly, I continue to base most species treatments on personally collected material, rather than on herbarium plants.

(conjunctive) Used to introduce a contradiction; on the contrary.

(conjunctive) Introducing a qualification or clarification; more precisely. (Now usually preceded by or .)

* 1897 , (Henry James), (What Maisie Knew) :

What the pupil already knew was indeed rather taken for granted than expressed, but it performed the useful function of transcending all textbooks and supplanting all studies.

* 1898, J. A. Hamilton, ", Volume LIV: Stanhope–Stovin , The MacMillan Company, page 60,

His ‘Iliad’ is spirited and polished, and, though often rather a paraphrase than a translation, is always more truly poetic than most of the best translations.

* , chapter=12

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill.

(degree) Somewhat, fairly.

Usage notes

* (somewhat) This is a non-descriptive qualifier'', similar to quite and fairly and somewhat. It is used where a plain adjective needs to be modified, but cannot be qualified. When spoken, the meaning can vary with the tone of voice and stress. "''He was rather big''" can mean anything from "not small" to "huge" (meiosis with the stress on ''rather ).

Synonyms

* liever, liefer, as lief * (to a certain extent) somewhat, fairly, quite

Antonyms

* (somewhat) utterly

Verb

(en verb)

(nonstandard, or, dialectal) To prefer; to prefer to.

* 1984 , Bruce Brooks, The Moves Make the Man :

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.

* 2002 , Sarah Waters, Fingersmith :

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 , Elizabeth Bowen, The Heat of the Day :

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?

* 2007 , Mikel Schaefer, Lost in Katrina , page 323:

"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.

Adjective

(-)

(obsolete) Prior; earlier; former.

* Sir J. Mandeville

Now no man dwelleth at the rather town.

Statistics

* English conjunctive adverbs English degree adverbs

otherwise

English

Alternative forms

* otherwize

Adverb

(-)

(lb) Differently, in another way.

*2011 , Phil McNulty, Euro 2012: Montenegro 2-2 England

*:Fabio Capello insisted Rooney was in the right frame of mind to play in stormy Podgorica despite his father's arrest on Thursday in a probe into alleged betting irregularities, but his flash of temper - when he kicked out at Miodrag Dzudovic - suggested otherwise .

(lb) In different circumstances; or else.

*:They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.}}

*{{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April, author=

, volume=100, issue=2, page=171, magazine=(American Scientist) , title= Well-connected Brains , passage=Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered,

(lb) In all other respects.

*2013 , Phil McNulty, ''BBC Sport , 1 September:

*:Robin van Persie squandered United's best chance late on but otherwise it was a relatively comfortable afternoon for Liverpool's new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has yet to concede a Premier League goal since his £9m summer move from Sunderland.

Usage notes

* "Otherwise" is often used to refer to the negative of something. The something may be a noun phrase, a verb phrase, an adjective phrase, or an adverb phrase, or a clause, or even something larger.

Synonyms

* (differently) contrarily, contrastingly * (in different circumstances) if not, else (See or else) * (in all other respects) apart from that

Antonyms

* likewise

Adjective

(-)

Other than supposed; different.

He said he didn’t do it, but the evidence was otherwise .