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Rather vs Regard - What's the difference?

rather | regard |

As verbs the difference between rather and regard

is that rather is to prefer; to prefer to while regard is to set store by (something), to hold (someone) in esteem; to consider to have value, to respect.

As an adverb rather

is more quickly; sooner, earlier.

As an adjective rather

is prior; earlier; former.

As a noun regard is

a steady look, a gaze.

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.

    regard

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (all obsolete)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) reguard, reguarde, from early (etyl) regard, from , from (etyl) reguarder. Attested in Middle English starting around the mid 14th century. Compare guard'', ''reward .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A steady look, a gaze.
  • * 1982 , (Lawrence Durrell), Constance'', Faber & Faber 2004 (''Avignon Quintet ), p. 750:
  • He bathed in the memory of her blondness, of her warm blue regard , and the sentiment permeated his sensibility with tenderness made the more rich because its object was someone long since dead.
  • One's concern for another; esteem.
  • * 1842 , Treuttel and Würtz, The Foreign Quarterly Review , page 144:
  • This attempt will be made with every regard to the difficulty of the undertaking[...].
  • * 1903 , Kentucky Mines and Minerals Dept, Annual Report , page 186:
  • We are spending a lot of money trying to put this mine in shape; we are anxious to comply with the wishes of your office in every regard [...].
  • * 1989 , Leonard W. Poon, David C. Rubin, Barbara A. Wilson, Everyday Cognition in Adulthood and Late Life , Cambridge University Press, page 399:
  • These problems were not traditional problems with realistic stimuli, but rather were realistic in every regard .
    Derived terms
    * disregard * in regard * regardable

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) regarder, from (etyl) reguarder. First attested in late Middle English, circa the early 15th century.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To set store by (something), to hold (someone) in esteem; to consider to have value, to respect.
  • * 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Luke XVIII:
  • There was a Judge in a certaine cite, which feared not god nether regarded man.
  • To look at; to observe.
  • She regarded us warily.
  • To consider, look upon (something) in a given way etc.
  • I always regarded tabloid journalism as a social evil.
    He regards honesty as a duty.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Your niece regards me with an eye of favour.
  • * Macaulay
  • His associates seem to have regarded him with kindness.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=May 5 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=For Liverpool, their season will now be regarded as a relative disappointment after failure to add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup and not mounting a challenge to reach the Champions League places.}}
  • (archaic) To take notice of, pay attention to.
  • * Shakespeare
  • If much you note him, / You offend him; feed, and regard him not.
  • To face toward.
  • * Sandys
  • It is a peninsula, which regardeth the main land.
  • * John Evelyn
  • that exceedingly beautiful seat of my Lord Pembroke, on the ascent of a hill, flanked with wood, and regarding the river
  • To have to do with, to concern.
  • That argument does not regard the question.
  • *
  • Synonyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * regarder * regardless * self-regarding

    Statistics

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    Anagrams

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