Rather vs Well - What's the difference?

rather | well | Synonyms |

Rather is a synonym of well.

As adjectives the difference between rather and well

is that rather is (obsolete) prior; earlier; former while well is wild.

As an adverb rather

is (obsolete) more quickly; sooner, earlier.

As a verb rather

is (nonstandard|or|dialectal) 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

well

English

(wikipedia well)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) (m), . Related to (will).

Alternative forms

* (dialectal) * (Scotland) *

Adverb

(lb) Accurately, competently, satisfactorily.

* {{quote-book, 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, chapter=The Tutor's Daughter, Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page= 266

, passage=In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well -remembered road.}}

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well . Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Welcome to the plastisphere , passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.}}

(lb) Completely, fully.

Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.

(lb) To a significant degree.

Very (as a general-purpose intensifier).

* 1999 , "Drummond Pearson", What Ash are doing right now...'' (on Internet newsgroup ''alt.music.ash )

That guy rocks! I think he's called Matthew Lillard or sommat but he is well cool in Scream.

* 2002 , "jibaili", FIFA 2003 How is it?'' (on Internet newsgroup ''microsoft.public.xbox )

Hey Dude / FIFA 2003 is well wicked, I've got FIFA 2002 on PS2, David Beckham on Xbox and Football Manager on Xbox too, out of all pf(SIC) them FIFA 2003 is easliy(SIC) the best.

* 2003 , Steve Eddy, Empower, Book 2

Hey, you should've seen it, it was well good.

In such manner as is desirable; so as one could wish; satisfactorily; favourably; advantageously.

* (John Dryden) (1631-1700)

It boded well to you.

* (John Milton) (1608-1674)

Know / In measure what the mind may well contain.

* (Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)

All the world speaks well of you.

Derived terms

* all too well * as well * do well by doing good * full well * fully well * just as well * pretty well * well and truly * well-behaved * well-known * well-mannered * well-padded * well-read * well-used

Adjective

In good health.

I had been sick, but now I'm well .

(archaic) Prudent; good; well-advised.

* 1897 , National Association of Railway Surgeons, Railway surgeon , page 191:

On leaving the operating table it is well to put the patient in a bed previously warmed and supplied with hot cans.

Derived terms

* full well * get well * * well-being

Interjection

(en interjection)

Used to acknowledge a statement or situation.

* , chapter=5

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=“Well ,” I says, “I cal'late a body could get used to Tophet if he stayed there long enough.” ¶ She flared up; the least mite of a slam at Doctor Wool was enough to set her going.}}

An exclamation of surprise, often doubled or tripled.

Used in speech to express the overcoming of reluctance to say something.

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=“Well ,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.}}

Used in speech to fill gaps; filled pause.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)

A hole sunk into the ground as a source of water, oil, natural gas or other fluids.

* Bible, John iv. 11

The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.

A place where a liquid such as water surfaces naturally; a spring.

* Milton

Begin, then, sisters of the sacred well .

A small depression suitable for holding liquid, or other objects.

(figurative) A source of supply.

* Spenser

Dan Chaucer, well of English undefiled

* Keble

a well of serious thought and pure

(nautical) A vertical, cylindrical trunk in a ship, reaching down to the lowest part of the hull, through which the bilge pumps operate.

(nautical) The cockpit of a sailboat.

(nautical) A compartment in the middle of the hold of a fishing vessel, made tight at the sides, but having holes perforated in the bottom to let in water to keep fish alive while they are transported to market.

(nautical) A vertical passage in the stern into which an auxiliary screw propeller may be drawn up out of the water.

(military) A hole or excavation in the earth, in mining, from which run branches or galleries.

(architecture) An opening through the floors of a building, as for a staircase or an elevator; a wellhole.

(metalworking) The lower part of a furnace, into which the metal falls.

A well drink.

They're having a special tonight: $1 wells .

(video games) The playfield of the video game Tetris , into which the blocks fall.

Derived terms

* ink well * light well (architecture) * oil well * spare tire well, spare tyre well * window well (architecture) * wishing well

Etymology 3

From (etyl) (m). Cognate with German .

Verb

(en verb)

To issue forth, as water from the earth; to flow; to spring.

* Dryden

[Blood] welled from out the wound.

* Bryant

[Yon spring] wells softly forth.

To have something seep out of the surface.

Her eyes welled with tears.

Statistics

* 1000 English basic words 200 English basic words English degree adverbs English intensifiers English manner adverbs English suppletive adverbs English terms with multiple etymologies ----