rile

verb

ˈrī(-ə)l 

riled; riling

transitive verb

1

: to make agitated and angry : upset

Her comments riled the professor.

2

: roil sense 1

Synonyms of rile

• annoy
• irritate
• bother
• persecute
• bug

Choose the Right Synonym for rile

irritate, exasperate, nettle, provoke, rile, peeve mean to excite a feeling of anger or annoyance.

irritate implies an often gradual arousing of angry feelings that may range from mere impatience to rage.

constant nagging that irritated me greatly

exasperate suggests galling annoyance and the arousing of extreme impatience.

his exasperating habit of putting off needed decisions

nettle suggests a sharp but passing annoyance or stinging.

your pompous attitude nettled several people

provoke implies an arousing of strong annoyance that may excite to action.

remarks made solely to provoke her

rile implies inducing an angry or resentful agitation.

the new work schedules riled the employees

peeve suggests arousing fretful often petty or querulous irritation.

a toddler peeved at being refused a cookie

Examples of rile in a Sentence

Her comments riled the professor.

one sure way to rile me is to keep yelling for me

Recent Examples on the Web

While video replay showed Elliss’ hit was clean (and legal), the optics of Dart being jettisoned a few yards into his own sideline riled up several Giants players, including second-year tight end Theo Johnson, who immediately went after Elliss. —Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025

Zac and Dylan have a reputation for getting fans riled up with their shirtless photos. —Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025

But on Sunday, voters will go to the polls to vote on an inheritance tax that has riled them up. —Carolin Roth, CNBC, 28 Nov. 2025

As Eddie is named a suspect in the murders, Jason riles up the town to hunt him down, claiming the Hellfire Club is a cult. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

variant of roil

First Known Use

1724, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rile

• aisle
• bile
• chyle
• file
• guile
• heil
• isle
• kyle
• mile
• pile
• smile
• stile

Kids Definition

rile

verb

ˈrī(ə)l 

riled; riling

1

: to make angry

2

: roil sense 1