Synonym Chooser

How does the noun rancor differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of rancor are animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, and hostility. While all these words mean "deep-seated dislike or ill will," rancor is especially applied to bitter brooding over a wrong.

rancor filled every line of his letters

When is it sensible to use animosity instead of rancor?

While the synonyms animosity and rancor are close in meaning, animosity suggests intense ill will and vindictiveness that threaten to kindle hostility.

animosity that led to revenge

Where would animus be a reasonable alternative to rancor?

Although the words animus and rancor have much in common, animus adds to animosity the implication of strong prejudice.

objections devoid of personal animus

How are the words antipathy and antagonism related as synonyms of rancor?

Both antipathy and antagonism imply a natural or logical basis for one's hatred or dislike, antipathy suggesting repugnance, a desire to avoid or reject, and antagonism suggesting a clash of temperaments leading readily to hostility.

a natural antipathy for self-seekers
antagonism between the brothers

When is enmity a more appropriate choice than rancor?

While in some cases nearly identical to rancor, enmity suggests positive hatred which may be open or concealed.

an unspoken enmity

When might hostility be a better fit than rancor?

The words hostility and rancor are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hostility suggests an enmity showing itself in attacks or aggression.

hostility between the two nations

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rancor Members of Congress would be wise to listen to the rancor unleashed at town halls. Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 4 Sep. 2025 However, RedZone host Scott Hanson’s mention of ads while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday sparked Reddit rancor and X acrimony, with some number of fans coming to believe—falsely—that the ads would be more disruptive than those trials and that ESPN was behind the change. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2025 In 2022, the two were at the firm ValueAct, which pushed the Times to make better use of its bundle and products, without much of the public rancor or knife-twisting that usually accompanies activist fights. Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Bell, whose office didn’t immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on Wednesday, thanked attendees with a post on the social platform X acknowledging the rancor. Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rancor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rancor
Noun
  • For example, in a fiery defense of federal aid to the citizens of Alabama and Georgia devastated by recent Native American hostilities, Adams invoked Congress’s war powers, while calling attention to a deeper hypocrisy.
    Time, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Even countries like Iran, which have long used the Palestinian cause as a pretext for hostility, would now face a diplomatic reckoning.
    Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Darkly funny and deeply melancholic, the film turns the family estate into a pressure cooker of grief, grudges and reluctant affection.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025
  • After Abe’s assassination in 2022 by a suspect who said he was motivated by a grudge against the church, an internal survey in the LDP later found that nearly half of the party’s members had links to it.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The examples of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where life after revolution is replete with bitterness and recrimination, are profoundly discouraging.
    Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Blessed with tender skins and jammy interiors, fresh figs can offset the tang of tomatoes and bitterness of salad greens.
    Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And hatred rather than ideology is the animating force?
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
  • More violence, more anger, more hatred.
    Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Rancor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rancor. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rancor

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