Consider Vs. regard as

Question

Can anyone explain what is the difference between "consider' and 'regard as'. When can I use one over the other? Thanks.

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

to regard has more than just the to consider meaning:
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regard

Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -ed/-ing/-s
Etymology: Middle English regarden, from Middle French regarder, reguarder to regard, look at, from Old French, from re- + garder, guarder to guard -- more at http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=guard

transitive verb
1 a : to pay attention to : notice or remark particularly <don't regard this very seriously> b obsolete : to look after :
2 a obsolete : to treat (a thing) as something of peculiar value, sanctity, or worth b : to have care for : heed in conduct or practice : have respect for (as a person) : show respect or consideration for <each must regard the rights of all> c :: care for
3 a : to keep in view : look at : gaze upon <your niece regards me with an eye of favor -- Shakespeare> b obsolete : to face toward
4 : to take into consideration or account : take account of <neither regarding that she is my child nor fearing me as if I were her father -- Shakespeare>
5 : to have relation to or bearing upon : relate to : touch on <your argument does not regard the question>
6 : to look at from a particular point of view : think of : http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=consider, http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=evaluate, http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=judge -- usually used with asregarded their chief as a brave soldier and a resourceful leader> <he regarded no task as too humble for him to undertake -- Aldous Huxley>

intransitive verb
1 : to look attentively : http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=gaze
2 obsolete : to take heed or pains
3 : to pay attention : http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=heed
synonym see

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In the meaning 6, I'd say they are pretty close synonyms, but "regard as" seems to me more rare and thus perhaps more pretentious than "consider."

Qwaszxcv · Answer

synonyms REGARD, ACCOUNT, RECKON, DEEM: of this series REGARD is probably the least rich in suggestion. It may, but does not necessarily, connote viewing without reflection and, consequently, quick judgment based on appearances alone from a purely personal point of view <a church ... which regarded all dissentients as rebels and traitors -- W.R.Inge> <to regard her passion ... and its tragic sequel as a romantic episode of girlhood -- Rose Macaulay> Although often interchangeable with REGARD, CONSIDER may suggest a degree of reflection and hence a more soundly based judgment<it seems, however, best to consider as literature only works in which the aesthetic function is dominant -- René Wellek & Austin Warren>...

"consider." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. ( 8 Sep. 2006).

Marius Hancu · Answer

Glad to see others are using the M-W  unabridged, good dictionary<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Marius Hancu · Answer

Qwaszxcvsynonyms http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=regard, http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=account, http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=reckon, http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=deem: of this series http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=regard+is probably the least rich in suggestion. It may, but does not necessarily, connote viewing without reflection and, consequently, quick judgment based on appearances alone from a purely personal point of view

Well, I guess this is based on the idea that someone might think of the definition 3:
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regard

3 a : to keep in view : look at : gaze upon
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when comparing consider and regard, but that may be not true.

Qwaszxcv · Answer

Marius HancuGlad to see others are using the M-W unabridged, good dictionary

It is! I thought I'd switch to the OED online, but I just keep returning to M-W unabridged.

Consider Vs. regard as

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