むしろ (mushiro)

Meaning & usage

むしろ is an adverb that presents the following statement as more accurate or more desirable than a stated or implied alternative. It is placed directly before the preferred predicate, which can be a verb, an i-adjective or na-adjective, or a noun plus だ, and it often appears with patterns like AよりむしろB, AというよりむしろB, or くらいならむしろ. It is neutral in register, but it needs a contrast to sound natural and cannot express degree as in rather cold.

Example sentences 4

1. 彼かれは学者がくしゃというよりむしろ小説家しょうせつかであると思おもう。

   I think he is not so much a scholar as a novelist.

2. 私は魚よりもむしろ鳥になりたい。

   I'd rather be a bird than a fish.

3. 彼は学者というよりもむしろ流行作家だ。

   He is not so much a scholar as a popular writer.

4. 彼女は歌手というよりむしろ女優だ。

   She is not so much a singer as an actress.