as in annoying
causing annoyance
a riling habit that drives his wife crazy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bothering
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
one sure way to rile me is to keep yelling for me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in angering
to make angry
her husband isn't easily riled, but once he is, he stays that way for days
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of riling
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
Isaacman made the comments while endorsing a proposal to halve NASA's science budget, riling some astronomers.
—CBS News, 4 May 2026
Some clips showed owls and ravens attacking the couple, especially riling up fans.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
His players were shown footage of the tackle, calculatedly riling up their ire for next week.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Despite losing to Georgia in the conference championship game, DeBoer's Crimson Tide earned one of this year's 12 CFP spots, potentially riling up coaches and fans from other programs who felt their teams got snubbed.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Officials like Bongino are in the awkward position of backtracking after years of highlighting the case and lobbying for the release of information from the sidelines — riling up their viewers and supporters in the process.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 8 July 2025
Verb
McCarty said, riling up the crowd.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
Isaacman made the comments while endorsing a proposal to halve NASA's science budget, riling some astronomers.
—CBS News, 4 May 2026
Some clips showed owls and ravens attacking the couple, especially riling up fans.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
His players were shown footage of the tackle, calculatedly riling up their ire for next week.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Despite losing to Georgia in the conference championship game, DeBoer's Crimson Tide earned one of this year's 12 CFP spots, potentially riling up coaches and fans from other programs who felt their teams got snubbed.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Officials like Bongino are in the awkward position of backtracking after years of highlighting the case and lobbying for the release of information from the sidelines — riling up their viewers and supporters in the process.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 8 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riling
Adjective
-
That particularly could be annoying to Uruguay supporters, given Messi’s stature in the sport overall and in particular with defending champion Argentina, La Celeste’s biggest rival.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
-
It’s widely considered rude and annoying when people cluster by the train doors if there are more people on the platform attempting to get on.—
Claudia Fisher,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Brunson turned on the boosters in the second half, attacking the Spurs' defense and showing little sign that his knee was bothering him.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
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If certain smells or experiences are bothering you, here are some other tips for managing postpartum odor and sweat.—
Dory Zayas,
Parents,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The university, its athletic department and anyone associated with it haven't done the Red Raiders and their quarterback any favors, either, with people like head coach Joey Maguire and billionaire booster Cody Campbell sounding off on the issue and only angering fans further.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
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The Star, which also looked into the killing, revealed that Jordan’s associations with organized crime figures, as well as his apparent disregard for angering them, likely contributed to his death.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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More importantly, chemical fumes can become stronger and more irritating when heated, posing risks if your garage is connected to the house.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 June 2026
-
Again, this is very Yellowstone for Rip to have an excessively violent response to an irritating obstacle.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
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His doctor had been bugging him for years to get a colonoscopy because of his age, but Driggers declined.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Verb
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The money raised is not set to go into the state’s Medi-Cal funding but instead into the general fund, infuriating advocates who note Newsom’s budget maintains rollbacks to health insurance for undocumented immigrants, low-income elderly Californians and other vulnerable populations.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
-
Union Pacific hasn’t commented publicly on the president’s remarks, but risks infuriating the president by denying them privately to investors all the same.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Norwegian Epic is awkward, distinctive and sometimes frustrating.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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The cancellation was frustrating enough, but this comes across as incredibly dismissive of the fans who support your career.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Biden weaponized Law Enforcement against his political opponent, while also persecuting many other innocent people.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
Jack Hayford, the founder of the King’s University, in Texas, claimed that the film was persecuting Christians, who only wanted to be treated equally.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riling. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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