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Definition of rankle
rankled
;rankling
play \-k(ə-)liŋ\intransitive verb
1 : to cause anger, irritation, or deep bitterness
2 : to feel anger and irritation
transitive verb
: to cause irritation or bitterness in
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Examples of rankle in a Sentence
The joke about her family rankled her.
that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Recent Examples of rankle from the Web
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Little surprise, then, that the Trump’s administration lax approach to ethics rules rankled Chen.
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The decision to hire WSP rankled Charlotte urban planner and consultant Michael Gallis, who helped design the city’s original transit plan.
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Farassati was referring to an opinion survey commissioned by the association that rankled several members of the committee.
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The sale rankled some shareholders who see land as a cultural touchstone and a tangible asset the corporation could pass on to future generations.
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That would rankle purists who judge players by chase rates, exit velocity and slugging percentage.
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Lorde's comments rankled a sizable chunk of her Twitter followers, who criticized her callousness and even pointed out that the statement reflected a certain level of ableism.
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There's another aspect of this disconnect that rankles me, too.
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The closing leaves Gary, a city of more than 70,000 residents, with just one Walgreens, at 2500 Grant St. The plan has rankled community leaders and elected officials.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rankle'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Connection Between rankle and Dragon
The history of today's word is something of a sore subject. When rankle was first used in English, it meant "to fester," and that meaning is linked to the word's Old French ancestor—the noun raoncle or draoncle, which meant "festering sore." Etymologists think this Old French word was derived from the Latin dracunculus, a diminutive form of draco, which means "serpent" and which is the source of the English word dragon. The transition from serpents to sores apparently occurred because people thought certain ulcers or tumors looked like small serpents.
Origin and Etymology of rankle
Middle English ranclen to fester, from Anglo-French rancler, from Old French draoncler, raoncler, from draoncle, raoncle festering sore, from Medieval Latin dracunculus, from Latin, diminutive of draco serpent — more at dragon
RANKLE Defined for English Language Learners
rankle
playDefinition of rankle for English Language Learners
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: to cause (someone) to feel angry or irritated especially for a long time
RANKLE Defined for Kids
rankle
playDefinition of rankle for Students
rankled
;rankling
: to cause anger, irritation, or bitterness
Learn More about rankle
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See words that rhyme with rankle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rankle Spanish Central: Translation of rankle Nglish: Translation of rankle for Spanish speakers
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