How to Use rather than in a Sentence

rather than

1 of 2 conjunction
  • Keep your looks sweet rather than horror-filled.
    — Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The goal is to make a bathroom feel light and airy rather than cramped.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Aug. 2023
  • The memo seemed like a request rather than an order.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
  • In her hands, this truth is giddy rather than gutting.
    — Jeremy Lybarger, Artforum, 2 June 2026
  • The package is booked by phone rather than online.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
  • Place your pumpkins on a firm surface rather than soil and cut off the tops.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2025
  • They’re crushed, rather than cut, to express and preserve their oils.
    — Jaina Grey, WIRED, 25 Apr. 2024
  • Anyone who sees their work as a calling rather than just a job faces the same trap.
    — Kwame Christian Esq, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • Just be sure to spray in the right places rather than taking a broad strokes approach.
    — Heather Bien, The Spruce, 23 June 2026
  • Aragón Aragón is a region that whispers rather than shouts.
    — Nigel Hack, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Some potential false electors backed out rather than join the scheme.
    — Amber Phillips, Anchorage Daily News, 21 July 2023
  • Goji berries are usually sold in pots, rather than bare-root.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
  • The right bob should play into your age and aesthetic rather than against it.
    — Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 16 June 2026
  • His eyes right now are proactive rather than reactive.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
  • For investors, that means silver is best viewed as a long-term play rather than a short-term trade.
    — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 16 June 2026
  • Kerkering opted to throw home, rather than to first.
    — Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
  • This contest is meant to be fun rather than a scientific poll.
    — Simone Jasper april 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
  • There’s a bit of grain on the nose and the first sip, big corn notes that are developed rather than green and raw.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2023
  • The pop-out roof panel is now attached with three hand levers rather than four bolts and a ratchet wrench.
    — Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 7 Sep. 2023
  • This policy followed fear rather than facts.
    — Jennifer Obel, Denver Post, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Because the kitchen is set against one wall rather than nestled in a corner, the area feels open and bright.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Jan. 2026
  • To speed up this process along by planting blueberries in autumn rather than spring.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Pam Bondi should have resigned rather than carry out this.
    — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Feels like a stretch to say that the 5 subs rule has contributed to more rather than less injuries.
    — Michael Cox, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Some want more growth and feeling of belonging in their daily work rather than more pay.
    — Dr. Cynthia J. Young, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • Try to leave stems behind rather than cutting everything to the ground.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The result is a show that places people, rather than products, at its center.
    — Marianna Cerini, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
  • In fact, your ideal bob should play into your age and aesthetic rather than against it.
    — Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 16 June 2026
  • Tesla frames this as progress in whole-body control rather than isolated limb scripts.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
  • His emotions overwhelm him, pulling him inward rather than outward.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026

rather than

2 of 2 preposition
  • But these doubts often stem from fear rather than fact.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Their debt was held by banks rather than PE firms.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The film began with a question rather than a plot.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Feb. 2026
  • But tonight her mood is subdued rather than swinging.
    — Lynn Hirschberg, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
  • When leaders create a safe space for truth, teams lean in rather than shut down.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • For some of the best rates, head north to the cool mountains, rather than south to the islands.
    — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The brake cables are pulled with an electric motor rather than a hand lever.
    — Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Cutworms will eat the cornmeal rather than feeding on your plants.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026
  • These attacks aim to destroy data rather than steal it.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Mar. 2026
  • The field had started selling around the structure rather than through it.
    — Rishi Katdare, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Preller chose to see the potential rather than the problem.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
  • On its platform, traders wager against each other rather than against the house.
    — Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
  • These details help the room feel enveloping, rather than closed-in.
    — Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 7 Feb. 2026
  • When leaders ask what would help someone do their best work rather than what’s wrong, people open up.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Instead, think of sourdough as a small, heart-friendly swap rather than a stand-alone fix.
    — Morgan Pearson, Verywell Health, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Is the strength of a country found in its military rather than its culture?
    — Chloe Shrager, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Use a pebble tray rather than a dish directly under the planter.
    — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Soils were dry last winter, ready to soak up rather than repel meltwater.
    — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 7 Mar. 2026
  • And all in Europe, rather than the United States.
    — Jill Lawless, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Ash Ahmed chose to build a company rather than wait for a career path to be handed to him.
    — C.m. Rubin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • Chernin and Capton also confirmed the deal was paid mostly in stock rather than cash.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 30 Jan. 2026
  • For most people, Helix will remain something to watch rather than buy.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
  • This is why fewer, quality pieces make up these spaces, rather than a large number of items.
    — Erica Puisis, The Spruce, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Which would be fine if at least some scares arrived earlier, rather than being held in reserve for so long.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Many New Yorkers will delay trips rather than chance this stretch during storms.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Chelsea finally look more like the sum of their parts, rather than a team reliant on the 23-year-old.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Cofer noted that the evening was a forum, rather than a debate and that name-calling wasn’t allowed.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The points were most effective when attached to a bow, rather than propelled by a spear thrower or tossed by hand.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2023
  • The players will argue that the teams at the bottom should be forced to spend that money, rather than pocket it.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
  • And rather than reply with a secondary option, the Jayhawks hoped the clock would take care of the rest.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rather than.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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