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
Relevance
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
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
Trump has so far remained neutral in Cassidy’s reelection campaign, but the senator’s decision to call Monarez to testify about her departure could rankle the president.
—
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 17 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
Verb
-
Do not waste precious prep time wiping down your baseboards, scrubbing the windows, or steaming your floors.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The director was asked if the deal with the steaming giant could compromise the film’s theatrical release in the same way as Ferrari, which bypassed cinemas in a number of key European territories such as France and Europe.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There are other infuriating remarks, too.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
That has infuriated business leaders who complain it makes the state less competitive and drives away the wealthy.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
My father’s kind voice ruptured the sound of violence raging around us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Or to be safe and dry as a storm rages outside?—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While one of her first moves — pushing specialized teachers into vacant classroom teaching jobs — angered the teachers' union, the new bonus for retirees was an idea that came from the union president, Ingrid Walker-Henry.—
Rory Linnane,
jsonline.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
This move had angered India, which pointed to China not getting punished despite its role as an even bigger importer of Russian energy.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
First, a late substitution forced Napier to burn a timeout near the red zone just before the play clock ran out.—
Matt Baker,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
In the absence of cooking gas, nearly two-thirds of households have resorted to burning waste to cook meals, according to the UN.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Michael was similarly enraged by the support.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The funniest part to me is that amid this violence — as someone is literally trying to kill him — the thing that enrages Beom-mo the most is when his wife’s top starts to slip down.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The women in your kitchen mixed the figs with walnuts, almonds, and sugar then boiled it all and stored it in clay pots for breakfast.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Water does not have to be boiled for handwashing, bathing and laundry purposes, but residents should be careful not to ingest it.—
Helen Rummel,
AZCentral.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Ball doesn’t seem annoyed by the memes yet, but the NBA season hasn’t officially started, so there’s still time.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
-
He was annoyed when people advocated that.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share