as in acrimonious
having or showing deep-seated resentment
a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rancorous
The rancorous, reptilian, essentially unknowable right—rising from the wastes like Trump, Putin, or Sauron—receives the Promethean gift of historical agency.
—
Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
Whether commercial insurers will cover the rest of the multi-billion price tag is bound to be a rancorous issue.
—Bob Woods, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2025
But engaging with those properties could mean putting even more money into her pocket and represent an explicit affirmation of her rancorous positions.
—Glen Weldon, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Contrast that with the current perception of American college campuses (and, to an extent, campuses across the wider world) constantly portrayed as rancorous battlegrounds in the culture wars, where dissenting ideas are often collateral damage, as are those promulgating them.
—Shaun Carver, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rancorous
Matthew Karp, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
Whether commercial insurers will cover the rest of the multi-billion price tag is bound to be a rancorous issue.
—Bob Woods, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2025
But engaging with those properties could mean putting even more money into her pocket and represent an explicit affirmation of her rancorous positions.
—Glen Weldon, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
Contrast that with the current perception of American college campuses (and, to an extent, campuses across the wider world) constantly portrayed as rancorous battlegrounds in the culture wars, where dissenting ideas are often collateral damage, as are those promulgating them.
—Shaun Carver, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rancorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rancorous
Adjective
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Harrison’s hiring, built on connections and made in the wake of an acrimonious separation from Nelson, Cuban’s only previous GM, was supposed to change all that.—
C. Clark, D. Aldridge, S. Amick, F. Katz,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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But after seasons of misery with the New York Giants and an acrimonious end to his time in New Jersey, this season has been a dream come true for Barkley with the Kansas City Chiefs standing between him and NFL immortality.—
Ben Morse,
CNN,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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An angry man, the same one from earlier, bellows at Jackson as he is muscled off the ball, and there are more expletives as Chelsea pass it backwards after getting close to Everton’s penalty area.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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In 2010, under pressure over the healthcare overhaul that became known as Obamacare, a number of House Democrats skipped public events after facing angry town halls the previous summer.—
Steve Peoples and Thomas Beaumont,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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By the time Leif Davis was sent off on the half-hour for a dangerous foul from behind on Saka, who Arteta said was sore but did not suffer any serious damage, the winger had created a game-high three chances.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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However, Rice – out of Sunday’s lineup – was still stiff, sore and swollen.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The United States and the Soviet Union were bitter adversaries during the four decade-long Cold War, competing for influence on multiple continents and arming their respective proxies from as far afield as Afghanistan, Angola, and Nicaragua in order to enhance their power at the other's expense.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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By emphasizing short wars, strategists rely too much on initial battle plans that may not play out in practice—with bitter consequences.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Lee’s cynical cardsharp of a brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), was meant to be part of that dream move, but the call of gambling takes Julius to Las Vegas instead.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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Now, posters are more cynical and there’s a fatalist bent to the conversations that wasn’t there before.—
Fortesa Latifi,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Smart or not, the deal also opened a rift between Bieber and Braun, with the former said to be resentful of the latter’s ballooning wealth.—
Shirley Halperin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2025
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In the book, Hoppus, 53, details years of rising tensions that ultimately led DeLonge to become distant and resentful.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Then, in June 2023, came the wildfire smoke from eastern Canada that filled our street with an acrid smell and our lungs with dangerous particulate matter.—
Mike Tidwell,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Apr. 2025
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Cruelty and condescension also figure frequently in the director’s work, bringing an acrid aftertaste to this reflection on the insularity of wealth and class, and the naivety of showing disdain for privilege to well-heeled prospective in-laws.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Rancorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rancorous. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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