as in angered
feeling or showing anger
our supervisor was rankled by all the unexpected delays and problems we ran into
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in raged
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in infuriated
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 rankled
Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 May 2026
The Sound Dues rankled the maritime powers of the day, but Denmark could easily enforce them thanks to the narrowness of the Øresund Strait, which is less than 3 miles wide at Helsingør.
—Vivek Krishnamurthy, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Two postseasons ago, Joel Embiid rankled Knicks fans during a hyper-testy first-round series in which the Philadelphia 76ers star engaged in multiple controversial plays — none bigger than him pulling Mitchell Robinson to the ground.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 4 May 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
But some of the changes have rankled the House.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
The brash kid who rankled Major League Baseball early in his career is now a husband, father of four and one of the best representatives the sport has to offer.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
Read more here about how Trump's non-endorsement of Cornyn, in favor of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, rankled GOP lawmakers.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 20 May 2026
The Sound Dues rankled the maritime powers of the day, but Denmark could easily enforce them thanks to the narrowness of the Øresund Strait, which is less than 3 miles wide at Helsingør.
—Vivek Krishnamurthy, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Two postseasons ago, Joel Embiid rankled Knicks fans during a hyper-testy first-round series in which the Philadelphia 76ers star engaged in multiple controversial plays — none bigger than him pulling Mitchell Robinson to the ground.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 4 May 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
But some of the changes have rankled the House.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
The brash kid who rankled Major League Baseball early in his career is now a husband, father of four and one of the best representatives the sport has to offer.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankled
Adjective
-
Police said the two male juveniles became angered when the other three would not take them to buy marijuana.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Soon, the faces of the angered New York City citizens around her soften.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Three cases nearly overwhelmed us, while 3,000 raged in Liberia.—
Tom Frieden,
STAT,
6 June 2026
-
As protests raged outside banks, leading pundits and politicians suggested ceding power to the President to restore order.—
Sarita Gupta,
Time,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The decision to send in state troopers – some on horseback – infuriated many protesters while drawing praise from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.—
Leigh Waldman,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
Those exemptions — and the government stipends many seminary students receive up to the age of 26 — have infuriated many Israelis.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Throughout our conversation, Rosenbaum frequently cited examples in which obvious AI errors left him enraged and literally cursing at the machine.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2026
-
At Williams’ trial, authorities said Williams was a jealous lover and often became enraged.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Bulgur is made from whole wheat kernels that have been steamed, dried and then crushed, giving it a tender texture and a subtle nutty flavor.—
Linda Gassenheimer,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2026
-
After proofing, they are broken into small servings, stuffed with pork and steamed.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Ever been annoyed after Windows setup that your user folder has a weird name?—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2026
-
When people get their interest rate wrong, they get annoyed.—
Sam Sammane,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Linda Hyde, a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards member since 2014, boarded her Southwest flight on May 21 at Miami International Airport humiliated and angry.—
Ella Moore
Updated May 29,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Elder’s sculpture was sitting outside of Bee Hive KC over Memorial Day Weekend when a man who was visibly angry allegedly began vandalizing the honeybee, according to Elder.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
After the Fever led by as many as 12 in the second half, the Liberty stormed back, capitalizing on Indiana turnovers to secure an 83-75 victory.—
Jackson Thompson OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
-
Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rankled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankled. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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