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
But that decision rankled many.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Early in her tenure, Noem made decisions that rankled Coast Guard officials, including shifting resources away from a search-and-rescue mission to find a missing service member and putting them toward deporting migrants, the sources told NBC News.
—NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
But Johnson recalled how in 2024 Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed undocumented people to work at public universities, rankling activists.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Ryan, who recently switched his representation to VC Sports Group, also downplayed the notion that he was rankled by the arbitration process.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Early in her tenure, Noem made decisions that rankled Coast Guard officials, including shifting resources away from a search-and-rescue mission to find a missing service member and putting them toward deporting migrants, the sources told NBC News.
—NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
But Johnson recalled how in 2024 Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed undocumented people to work at public universities, rankling activists.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Ryan, who recently switched his representation to VC Sports Group, also downplayed the notion that he was rankled by the arbitration process.
—Dan Hayes, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
Verb
-
Just presented to you like a steaming basket of biscuits.—
Emily Elias,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The dish is topped with a final wonton layer and a bit of chicken broth or water, then steamed in a steamer for about 25 minutes.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ugh, Salley infuriates me more than people who stop at the top of the subway stairs to check their phone.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Instead of infuriating customers at drive-thrus, the company is looking to exasperate its existing employees with the tech instead.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The concept was revived by Olympic officials and the United Nations in the early 1990s, as bitter conflicts raged in the Balkans.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Weigh in on that argument that is now going to be raging on Capitol Hill.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The two sat up front and refused to move, angering the driver, who stormed off at every stop, all through the night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The policy coincided with hurricane season, and relief efforts in states such as Missouri, North Carolina, and California were delayed, angering the public and, in many cases, their Republican representatives.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Protesters also burned a police station and damaged a school and the offices of a local charity in Gilgit, according to officials.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
In all areas of life, optimism lights the spark, while discipline keeps the fire burning.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With a German commandant enraged, Edmonds stood his ground and invoked prisoners' rights under international law.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Onitsuka, whose group led Saturday’s rally, added that the American people are also enraged to have their tax dollars pay for an unjust and unsanctioned war that’s causing death and destruction as many struggle to survive in this country.—
La Risa R. Lynch,
jsonline.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When oil begins boiling, about 2 minutes, very carefully add the onion, gently pushing into the oil.—
C.W. Cameron,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
While the properly prepared, boiled three times, tender spring leaves of this plant are the main ingredient in poke sallet, a fixture of Southern cuisine, the plant is truly toxic.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Last Sunday, the broadcast showed a perplexed, annoyed Wells who thought his team went missing.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Nevertheless, Jude would be annoyed.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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