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

The product of an online hip-hop ecosystem now built around getting attention through clipfarming social media accounts made to get millennials riled up? —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026

With this police run-in, Country Joe and the Fish received a slew of press, riling up the public ahead of their Woodstock performance. —Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026

Rosenberg and others of his ilk like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones and Hasan Piker and Bob Grant from decades ago, play to their audience’s fears, getting their listeners riled up. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026

Golden, meanwhile, turned and started to rile up the home crowd. —ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026

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