to some (great or small) extent; "it was rather cold"; "the party was rather nice"; "the knife is rather dull"; "I rather regret that I cannot attend"; "He's rather good at playing the cello"; "he is kind of shy"
on the contrary; "rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left"; "he didn't call; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter"; "used English terms instead of Latin ones"
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time; "So far he hasn't called"; "the sun isn't up yet"
used after a superlative; "this is the best so far"; "the largest drug bust yet"
to a small degree or extent; "his arguments were somewhat self-contradictory"; "the children argued because one slice of cake was slightly larger than the other"
to the same degree (often followed by `as'); "they were equally beautiful"; "birds were singing and the child sang as sweetly"; "sang as sweetly as a nightingale"; "he is every bit as mean as she is"
in an honest manner; "in he can't get it honestly, he is willing to steal it"; "was known for dealing aboveboard in everything"
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that; "honestly, I don't believe it"; "candidly, I think she doesn't have a conscience"; "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"