1
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to infuriate
to make angry
it rankles me when some schools can't even afford paper and pencils for the students
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rankle
That rankled Aviation administrators, who saw a potential problem with FAA rules if the money ever made it to CountryFest or the mayors’ conference.
—
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
But while Loeb has often encouraged scientists to have an open mind about extraterrestrials, his theories and research have often rankled other astrophysicists in the field, who push back on some of his bolder claims.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
What rankles even more about 2025 is that, in other late-season swoons, the Mets have at least been tracked down by an adversary.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
DeGeneres’ career climb rankled Fulger, who was let go from the series, along with co-star Maggie Wheeler, when it was retooled after its first year on the air.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
But while Loeb has often encouraged scientists to have an open mind about extraterrestrials, his theories and research have often rankled other astrophysicists in the field, who push back on some of his bolder claims.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
What rankles even more about 2025 is that, in other late-season swoons, the Mets have at least been tracked down by an adversary.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
DeGeneres’ career climb rankled Fulger, who was let go from the series, along with co-star Maggie Wheeler, when it was retooled after its first year on the air.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
Verb
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Ferrara’s arrival in New York City and subsequent entry into the movie business is presented as something like a case of recidivism, a dive from suburban gentility into the cauldron of steaming garbage that was Fun City–era Manhattan.—
Nick Pinkerton,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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The clip then smash-cuts to a scene of Bruce as a child listening to his parents fight in the next room, and we’re meant to understand that the joy and power that steams off of the stage is a cure for the pain of childhood wounds.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That defeat denied Indianapolis a playoff appearance and infuriated the man in charge of it all.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
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The lack of details about the operations has infuriated members of Congress on both sides of the political spectrum.—
Mike Brest,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Cost of living is raging, high-paying job opportunities are scarce, and layoffs are on the rise.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
-
There was such conflict raging within me.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That loss of sales has already angered many Midwestern soybean farmers, who see the administration’s Argentina outreach as benefiting a competitor while leaving American exporters disadvantaged.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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The deal could improve America’s relationship with its chief economic adversary while angering key allies and its two biggest trading partners.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sometimes lightning hits the mountainside and splits or burns a tree.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
There's a burning frustration like in the rest of the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats voted to keep the government open back then, enraging Democrats who had wanted to use the pressure point to fight back against the administration.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
5 Nov. 2025
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To further enrage Predator purists, Thia and Dek adopt a cuddly little monkey-ish creature as their companion, a CGI bit of whimsy seemingly borrowed from Pixar.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As tensions boiled, clashes broke out and federal agents used pepper balls and tear gas, hitting journalists, a pastor and officers with the Chicago Police Department, according to reports and a lawsuit.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
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They were created to store the sap collected from nearby maple trees and boil that down to create maple syrup.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The situation could be taken as concerning for Alonso, given the precedents of previous Madrid coaches who have tried to impose a certain style of play, or who otherwise annoy superstar players used to having things more their own way.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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One report, citing a source close to Sheridan, even claimed the writer was annoyed that Paramount sent too many of its top suits to a meeting designed to keep Sheridan onboard, arguing that Ellison had messed up by bringing more than two execs along with him.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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