Rather versus Quite

Question

Hi teachers,Is is true the following one?In general, rather has less force than quite. Rather means “somewhat, to a certain degree.” Quite, in contrast, can mean “to a significant degree. “ When someone is rather sad, the degree of sadness is less than if the person is quite sad.Thanks in advance.

RandomGuy · Accepted Answer

I agree with this, although some dictionaries indicate that rather and quite can be synonyms.

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Hi Aspara Gus,
Thank you for your reply.

TS

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Hi,
Will you agree on these two synoyms for rather?
a) She is short and rather fat.
b) She is short and not very much fat.
c) She is short and only a little fat fat.

TS

RandomGuy · Answer

Thinking SpainWill you agree on these two synoyms for rather?
a) She is short and rather fat.
b) She is short and not very much fat.
c) She is short and only a little fat fat.

No, I wouldn't. To me, a little seems to suggest a smaller degree. Some synonyms for rather are somewhat, fairly, moderately, and to some degree or extent.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Aspara Gus,
Thank you for your reply.
Do you think 'moderately' applies for my original sentence?

TS

Corfu lingua · Answer

Hello TS,

in my opinion the adverb "rather" as synonym for "somewhat /quite" is mainly used when compared to something else.
An example could be a review of a hotel which reads "good service and a rather big room, excellent food, ..."
"Rather big" is "big in comparison to sth" ... to what you usually expect in a certain price range or hotel category.

On the Internet Bird Collection site (http://ibc.lynxeds.com/video/red-crested-pochard-netta-rufina/rather-fat-female)
someone published a video showing a duck. The caption reads: A (rather fat) female.
Again, the statement is in comparison to something, in this case to female ducks in general.

You wrote:
"When someone is rather sad, the degree of sadness is less than if the person is quite sad."

I agree with what you say, but I would add that the person who is rather sad now, usually is less sad or not sad at all.

"She is short and rather fat".
"rather fat" = "fat" compared to other girls, "fat" compared to her weight before she got too big, etc.
It does not mean that she is not really fat, it does usually not mean that she is just a little on the big side.

There is a good wiki about English words. You might want to check out "rather" on this url:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rather

It also gives this usage note:

(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).

RandomGuy · Answer

AnonymousDo you think 'moderately' applies for my original sentence?

Yes, but you'd be more likely to hear fairly, somewhat, or rather.

Tenacious Learner · Answer

corfu linguain my opinion the adverb "rather" as synonym for "somewhat /quite" is mainly used when compared to something else.

Hi CL,
Thank you so much for your detailed explanation.

I quite agree with your explanation because another example is this one:

Situation: someone overslept.
A: I know it's rather late, but at least drink your coffee.
B: It's not rather late, it's too late, I must go to work immmediately.

TS

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Aspara GusYes, but you'd be more likely to hear fairly, somewhat, or rather.

Hi Aspara Gus,
Thank you so much for your reply. It is just to be explained to my students; 'moderately' has its root in Latin. So, it is easy to understand for them.

TS

Corfu lingua · Answer

Glad you liked it! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' alt='Emotion: big smile'/>

Rather versus Quite

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