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
The irony and meaninglessness of the violence rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation and community care in his day-to-day work.
—
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
The actions have rankled some MAHA enthusiasts who counted on the administration to tackle chronic disease, especially among children.
—Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Coming several years after the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) and its sweeping modernizations, the encyclical rankled many Catholics who had hoped for a more liberal policy on birth control.
—René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Mar. 2026
But the tone of the new pictures also suggests a return to the Romanticism that rankled him in his youth, or at least a lighter, less conflicted touch.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
The actions have rankled some MAHA enthusiasts who counted on the administration to tackle chronic disease, especially among children.
—Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Coming several years after the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) and its sweeping modernizations, the encyclical rankled many Catholics who had hoped for a more liberal policy on birth control.
—René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Mar. 2026
But the tone of the new pictures also suggests a return to the Romanticism that rankled him in his youth, or at least a lighter, less conflicted touch.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
Verb
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That is a steaming hot pile of garbage.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Dinners take place in traditional nomad tents around the communal fire pit, and range from steaming hot pots with yak meat, mushrooms and tofu to haute-Tibetan tasting menus with wild vegetables in corn foam, tsampa grissini, and lamb shoulder with yak yogurt glaze and salsa verde.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hart’s stance infuriated some of his liberal supporters and sparked a Michigan recall petition to oust him from the Senate.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Genuine labor advocates are infuriated by its decline, which has proceeded under Republican and Democratic administrations alike.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On October 10, 1957, a raging inferno swept through the core of Unit 1 nuclear reactor at Windscale, Cumberland (now Sellafield, Cumbria) for three days.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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The raging fire broke out on Schley Street in Newark.—
John Dias,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Imagine the type of conviction Jon-Eric Sullivan must have in Kadyn Proctor to have his first-round selection disappoint, if not anger most of his South Florida fan base?—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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Trump faces record-low approval ratings, while Washington’s war on Iran, which has sent US gasoline prices spiking, has further angered voters.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded several longstanding environmental regulations, including gutting the 2009 endangerment finding and rolling back air quality standards for coal-burning power plants, which advocates say will cause irreparable harm.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
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The cladding on the house is called Shou Sugi Ban, which is a Japanese process of preserving wood by pre-burning it and then staining it to [create a durable, fire-retardant material].—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The culmination of the story is Michael revealing on stage that this would be the Jacksons' last show together, enraging his father Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo).—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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Lyman said the amount of grief had shocked and enraged her.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One-Pan Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Peas All the creaminess of a traditional chicken alfredo (one of our favorite chicken recipes)—minus the extra pot for boiling the pasta.—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
24 Apr. 2026
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Pouring 2 to 3 gallons of boiling water on a fire ant mound will kill the mound about 60% of the time.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the president doesn’t get annoyed with him once or twice.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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Maybe annoyed enough to fix it.—
Nathan Edwards,
The Verge,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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