The meaning of "not because". Could it have two meanings?

Question

Could it be interpreted in two ways?

I dislike him because he is rich. (I don't like rich people.)
The reason why I like him is not the fact that he is rich. (I like him because he is a good man.)

I'm sometimes confused when I hear this kind of expression. Does it depend on the context? Is there a good way to avoid being ambiguous?

in context, usually only one meaning will make sense, but of course there can be a situation where the meaning is still ambiguous. It's easier when spoken, because the inflection would be different. — Esther, Aug 4, 2022 at 2:40
Note that a comma before "because" would rule out the second interpretation (in standard English, at least). — MarcInManhattan, May 13 at 17:16

Billy Kerr · Accepted Answer · 2023-05-13 11:34:30Z

1

Either of the suggested meanings is possible. But in the absence of clarifying context, the meaning

< 1. I dislike him because he is rich. (I don't like rich people.)

is significantly more likely.

Billy Kerr

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answered Aug 5, 2022 at 0:55

David Siegel

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Not sure why you reckon that interpretation is more likely. Maybe you just hang out with a lot of anti-capitalists, and if you hung out with a lot of people who dated rich people, you'd tend towards the opposite ("I like him for his personality not his money").
– Stuart F
Aug 5, 2022 at 13:02

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