than
than Lexical Profile
than Game Scores & Validity
• conjunction
Used to introduce the second element in a comparison of inequality, following a comparative adjective or adverb.
"The summer weather this year is noticeably warmer than it was last July."
Used after expressions of difference, contrast, or preference (such as 'other', 'otherwise', 'else', or 'rather') to introduce an alternative or rejected option.
"She decided to walk home through the park rather than wait for the delayed bus."
Used after 'no sooner' or 'scarcely' to introduce an event that happens immediately after another.
"No sooner had the outdoor concert begun than the rain started to fall."
• preposition
In comparison with; governing a noun phrase or objective pronoun as the standard of comparison.
"My younger brother has always been much taller than me."
Apart from or except, when used directly after words such as 'other', 'else', or 'otherwise'.
"No one other than the lead researcher had access to the archived manuscripts."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently confused with the adverb 'then', which indicates time or sequence rather than comparison. When followed by a personal pronoun, formal grammar treats 'than' as a conjunction requiring a subject pronoun (e.g., 'taller than I [am]'), whereas everyday usage commonly treats it as a preposition taking an object pronoun (e.g., 'taller than me').
• Rhymes for than
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'þanne' or 'þonne', originally the same word as 'then', derived from Proto-Germanic '*thana'. The spelling distinction between comparative 'than' and temporal 'then' became standardized in early modern English by the 18th century.