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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News Round-Up The USA’s Under-20s steamed into the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Chile yesterday, wiping the floor with Italy.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Its most famous dish is its roasted pork bun ($3), which is enjoyed best while steaming hot.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The journey, first to Paris and then through Switzerland and Milan and onwards to Venice, was for the most part pleasant, being blessedly free of many of the wearisome and often infuriating hindrances and misdirections that rail travel usually entails.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
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Don’t be surprised if this is a hot-hand situation, though, and rather infuriating.—
Jake Ciely,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, in the wake of the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, politics has become increasingly polarized, with debates about free speech raging.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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From there, the roaring party becomes a raging nightmare.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Indeed, after the pandemic—which initially decimated sales but then led to a surge in business that overwhelmed REI’s supply chain and operations—Artz made moves that angered many employees.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
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The real estate developer who angered Benbrook residents this past summer with his plan to build in a floodplain has been indicted on felony charges in Parker County for alleged misappropriation of funds and theft.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This would not have been a serious consideration midway through Newcastle’s 2-0 win against struggling, flailing Nottingham Forest — the nothingness of half-time was like a blessed relief — but a stodgy, slow-burning afternoon concluded with Howe’s team comfortable and edging towards dominance.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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North Fire has been burning on private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Laurene Allen, an environmental advocate who lives in Merrimack, New Hampshire, where PFNA was one of several forever chemicals discovered in drinking water in 2016, was awaiting the report and is frustrated and enraged by its delay.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
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As part of these reforms, the Royal Navy impounded dozens of merchant vessels for allegedly evading customs duties, enraging merchants as well as mariners, shipwrights, stevedores, and others in port cities whose livelihoods depended on foreign commerce.—
Time,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead of gradually boiling into insanity, the film hits fever pitch hallucinations right away and quickly exhausts itself attempting to keep pace.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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The abacá fibers are harvested three times a year, cut, stripped, dried and bundled before being boiled and pressed into sheets for shipping to Taiwan.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In practice, Musk bowed to authoritarian governments or banned critical journalists when their reporting annoyed him.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Joe proceeded to get drunk, annoy her (and multiple other cast members), and ultimately exit the party early to pass out in his room.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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