riled; riling

transitive verb

1
: to make agitated and angry : upset
2
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
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.
The winger, public enemy No 1 in the Black Country after his pre-match post on social media riled the locals, was untouchable after the break as the visitors ran amok. Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 25 Aug. 2024 By this stage, the Cambridge capital controversy was winding down—with both sides claiming victory—but economics was still riled by contentious debates over issues like inflation, labor unions, and poverty in the developing world. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024 The money piece really riles me up because women receive around 2% of funding from venture capitalists, and money really is everything. Natasha Pearlman, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2024 With as much as a one word tweet, the superstar artist got her fans riled up on Thursday night (Oct. 24). Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rile 

Word History

Etymology

variant of roil

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rile was in 1624

Dictionary Entries Near rile

Cite this Entry

“Rile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rile. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

rile

verb
riled; riling
1
: to make angry
2

More from Merriam-Webster on rile

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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