rancorous
adjective
ran·cor·ous
ˈraŋ-k(ə-)rəs 
: marked by rancor : deeply malevolent
rancorous envy
rancorously
adverb
Examples of rancorous in a Sentence
a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him
Recent Examples on the Web
After long and sometimes rancorous negotiations to get the state of Illinois to help build their new football palace, either in Arlington Heights or on the lakefront, the Bears seemingly gave up Thursday and went full-metal Hoosier.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Mourinho, the 63-year-old finally living the dream of managing his boyhood club after a rancorous nine-game stint at the start of his coaching career, celebrating with a starry-eyed kid dreaming of being on the pitch for the first team one day.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Transportation and accelerated bridge construction Transportation featured prominently, with Healey again praising MBTA General Manager Phil Eng to the most rancorous applause of the night.
—Sam Drysdale, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The committee’s Democratic members savaged Rubio for diminishing America’s global role; the meeting grew so rancorous that Senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who was Rubio’s closest friend in the Senate, had to repeatedly bang his gavel to bring order.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
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Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
Mourinho, the 63-year-old finally living the dream of managing his boyhood club after a rancorous nine-game stint at the start of his coaching career, celebrating with a starry-eyed kid dreaming of being on the pitch for the first team one day.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2026
Transportation and accelerated bridge construction Transportation featured prominently, with Healey again praising MBTA General Manager Phil Eng to the most rancorous applause of the night.
—Sam Drysdale, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
The committee’s Democratic members savaged Rubio for diminishing America’s global role; the meeting grew so rancorous that Senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who was Rubio’s closest friend in the Senate, had to repeatedly bang his gavel to bring order.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rancorous
Cite this Entry
“Rancorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rancorous. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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