1
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to infuriate
to make angry
it rankles me when some schools can't even afford paper and pencils for the students
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rankle
Some of Niccol's changes have rankled customers and baristas.
—
Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Omar’s growing outrage, especially when precious time is lost because of jammed phone lines, troubling silences and false assumptions, rankles Mahdi, the most overstretched of anyone at the call center.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
That experience had rankled in my soul ever since.
—Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
Matthew quickly schemes his way into Oliver’s orbit after that first performance, impressing and rankling the group of lackeys in his entourage at the same time.
—Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Omar’s growing outrage, especially when precious time is lost because of jammed phone lines, troubling silences and false assumptions, rankles Mahdi, the most overstretched of anyone at the call center.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
That experience had rankled in my soul ever since.
—Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025
Matthew quickly schemes his way into Oliver’s orbit after that first performance, impressing and rankling the group of lackeys in his entourage at the same time.
—Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
Verb
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In addition to using Brussels sprouts in salads, they can be roasted, steamed or sauteed.—
Bethany Thayer,
Freep.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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The expansive lawn is dotted with games—cornhole, soccer, and ladder toss for the kids—and solo fire pits where families gather under starry skies to toast s’mores or enjoy a steaming mug of hot cider.—
Christine Chitnis,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In March, a bloc of centrist lawmakers broke ranks to advance a Republican spending bill without concessions, infuriating progressive groups that accused party leaders of capitulation.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
30 Sep. 2025
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My astrologer’s eyes twinkled with infuriating delight.—
Jessie Rosen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Total terror raged for a month or more.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, sharp spending cuts have angered many, while a recent electoral defeat for his party worried investors ahead of a key legislative vote in October.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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The new program, Train SMART, also risks angering a network of grassroots chapters and gun violence prevention volunteers at Everytown.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Jayhawks could have let Walker score, but didn’t, and instead burned their second timeout on defense with 32 seconds left.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
28 Sep. 2025
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The wildfire has been burning on state land for less than an hour.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pinning the blame on Tylenol instead of vaccines enraged Kennedy's own anti-vaccine organization, Children's Health Defense.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Sep. 2025
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The film captures every enraging detail of the trial while using it as a jumping off point for an exploration of the history of the region and the ways in which the Chuchagasta have been bureaucratically erased in order to strip them of their property and rights.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The recipe calls for the watery stalks to be boiled in meat broth and served chilled, accompanied with ketchup and anchovies.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
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In vacuum and one-sixth gravity, lubricants boil off, moving parts behave differently, and remote or autonomous operation is necessary because of the time delay between Earth and Moon, which makes real-time teleoperation impractical.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The New York Yankees were annoyed by the way several members of the 2024 Dodgers spent the offseason taking potshots at their World Series opponent.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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While some fans weren’t overly concerned about the picture, arguing the players were just having fun, others were annoyed to see Bronco athletes decked out in the gear of a regional school.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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