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Formation: Plain form + というより; N / な-adj stem (usually without だ) + というより; often + むしろ

The speaker swaps a description for one that fits better: X is not wrong exactly, but Y describes it more accurately. むしろ often follows. It is used in all registers, and the casual spoken version is っていうか. This is different from a plain comparison with より (A より B のほうが…), which ranks two things. Here the speaker is choosing the right word. 〜ではなく flatly denies X, whereas 〜というより only partly sets X aside.

Variants: というよりは、というよりむしろ、というか、っていうか

Examples

• 彼は友人というより、兄のような存在だ。
  He's less a friend than an older brother to me.
• 今日は涼しいというより、むしろ寒いくらいだ。
  Today it's not so much cool as actually cold.
• この本は読むというより、眺めて楽しむものだ。
  This book is less for reading than for browsing and enjoying.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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