rankle

verb

ˈraŋ-kəl How to pronounce rankle (audio)
Definition of ranklenext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rankle The secrecy around the project rankled; even though almost a quarter of it is owned by Albanian businessmen, their names are hidden in an offshore corporation. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 The Recon’s range will rankle some, but, honestly, the same complaints can be made about the fuel economy and driving range of the most capable internal combustion off-roaders. — Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2026 The brief war and status of the islands still rankles many Argentinians, and political leaders there are frequently pressured to take up the cause. — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026 Districts rankled by LifeWise rollout On a Friday in May, a LifeWise program director notified a Denton ISD middle school that Bible classes would begin the following Monday. — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
  1. steam
  2. infuriate
  3. rage
  4. anger
  5. burn
  6. enrage
  7. boil
  8. annoy
Verb
  • Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani — steamed under a pastry crust and flavored with seasonings blended in India by Adi’s mother.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Shawn, his parents, and the stranger were sitting around the dining table, their bowls of rice steaming before them, when the knock came.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of steam
Verb
  • Trip isn’t the standout role, but Keery handles the character’s exasperated monologues with panache, turning self-defense and infuriated straight-talk into acts of exhilarating sanity.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cummings said that in January 2021, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police and told a dispatcher about the illicit relationship, infuriating Farwell.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of infuriate
Verb
  • One American season later, the race demons raged and all of those commitments are dropped.
    — Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of rage
Verb
  • Data center demand began driving up electric bills last year across a 13-state electricity grid stretching from Illinois to New Jersey and Maryland, angering ratepayers.
    — Marc Levy, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Indeed, the survey showed that use of the horn is the most common action when drivers consider another driver to be annoying or angering them.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • Neurons are closer to Formula One race cars than to family sedans, burning fuel at a furious rate and threatening to blow up at any moment.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Wall Street analysts are trying to discern whether Big Tech will continue to burn cash or not.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of burn
Verb
  • The administration removed hundreds of trees from the East Potomac Golf Links over the weekend, enraging the judge.
    — Julia Boehning, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Unbearably painful and enraging for the one, surely pretty darn awkward for the other.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of enrage
Verb
  • Its stainless steel body can last for years of making pour-over coffee every morning or evening cups of hot tea, and the kettle also comes in handy to boil water fast for everyday recipes.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Roast halves cut side down rather than boiling them, since roasting concentrates the sugars and cuts moisture.
    — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of boil
Verb
  • Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Williams is annoyed and wants order while Kirke is hardly paying attention and lugs vases of flowers through her home.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoy

Browse Nearby Words

rankings
rankle
rankled
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Cite this Entry

“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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