RANKLE Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

rankle

verb

ˈraŋ-kəl

Definition of rankle

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

Relevance

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

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 rankle Adam Heimerman kept seeing the surveillance cameras on his way to work as a river guide in East Tennessee, and the sight rankled him. — Annie Gowen, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2026 Upon taking over as chairman, Tom Pohlad insisted the club needed to atone for a series of mistakes made by ownership over 2 1/2 years that rankled fans and players alike. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Sure, the upcoming move from Missouri to Kansas still rankles fans. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026 When Epstein’s appointment was announced, his political leanings – his cover letter for the role laid out an explicitly conservative vision – as well as his relative lack of experience rankled many FIU law faculty members. — Austin Horn july 24, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rankle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle

Verb

Ground meat almost immediately releases its own juices into a warm skillet, causing the meat to steam instead of sear.

— Kate Williams, AJC.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Their crabs are steamed, frozen and packed into boxes to be shipped to Sri Lanka, where workers remove the meat by hand.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of steam

Verb

Sydney Sweeney is no stranger to starring in a controversial ad — and her latest effort has infuriated female athletes, including Olympians.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
But Marcia was beginning to sound like Marcia on the page, Marcia in those essays that both excited and infuriated her readers.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of infuriate

Verb

As debate rages over how to respond to the growing power of artificial intelligence, Bill Gates is throwing a billion dollars and some words of wisdom at the problem.

— Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Wind River’s Julia Jones shows up as a Native woman who joins the pack, and holds her own against obstacles ranging from raging rivers to even-more-raging men.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of rage

Verb

But Trump’s solution, to import 300,000 metric tons of beef and sell it at a reduced cost, angered American ranchers.

— Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Rebecca regrets angering Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn) after putting his daughter in the middle of a heated discussion around the possibility of Matthijs moving to London.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of anger

Verb

Marie-Louise is enraged one minute, subservient the next, bullying the staff while throwing banquets for Nazi officials.

— David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The hiring of the Catalan content creator, however, has only served to enrage the public, rather than enticing them to watch the race.

— Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of enrage

Verb

New potatoes, Red Bliss, fingerlings, and other waxy varieties have a dense texture and hold their shape particularly well after boiling.

— Molly Baz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Sep. 2026
Out toward the edge, the star would boil unstably, sloughing off outer layers and explosively ejecting mass.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of boil

Browse Nearby Words

rankings

rankle

rankled

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“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of rankle

verb

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