instead
adv.in place of something else. You use it when you choose one thing because you do not want or cannot have another.
adv.as a substitute or alternative to something previously mentioned.
“There was no coffee, so I drank tea instead.”
“The restaurant was too crowded, so we decided to order a pizza and eat at home instead.”
“Rather than investing in traditional advertising, the startup focused its resources on social media engagement instead, hoping to build a more direct relationship with its target audience.”
Typically placed at the end of a clause or sentence. When used at the start of a sentence to introduce an alternative, it is usually followed by a comma.
When followed by the alternative being rejected, 'instead' must be paired with 'of' and a noun or gerund.
Usage instead new · instead of acting · instead of allowing
From in + stead, from Middle English ine (“in”) + stede (“stead”). Related to German statt.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.