1
as in steams
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 angers
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 rankles
Nothing rankles fans more than a team that continues to make the same mistake over and over again.
—
Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still rankles many Thais.
—CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
This rankles some of her fans, particularly a stalker who begins murdering those boosting her acting ambitions.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
What rankles even more about 2025 is that, in other late-season swoons, the Mets have at least been tracked down by an adversary.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 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 decision still rankles some Republicans, years later.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
But he's paired with Travis (Davidson), whose cheery demeanor increasingly rankles until their truck is hijacked and the two have to bond to survive.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still rankles many Thais.
—CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
This rankles some of her fans, particularly a stalker who begins murdering those boosting her acting ambitions.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
What rankles even more about 2025 is that, in other late-season swoons, the Mets have at least been tracked down by an adversary.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 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 decision still rankles some Republicans, years later.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
But he's paired with Travis (Davidson), whose cheery demeanor increasingly rankles until their truck is hijacked and the two have to bond to survive.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankles
Verb
-
Nothing steams football fans quite like NBC Sports broadcaster Cris Collinsworth praising Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Then, Lim steams the breastmilk in an espresso machine before adding the matcha into the drink.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What angers me is thinking about what could have been.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
-
And nothing angers the Survivor gods more than reality TV hubris.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Fighting rages on Since the RSF overran el-Fasher, which had been one of the army’s last strongholds in Darfur, fighting has recently concentrated in various areas of Kordofan.—
Noha Elhennawy,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
New York City faces budget hardships, an affordability crisis that rages on, and an urgent need for government to deliver.—
Zohran Mamdani,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
No one exemplifies that, and infuriates Twins fans more, than Ortiz.—
Brian Hall,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Unfortunately, Ashur’s idea to achieve this goal infuriates everyone.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Its carbon steel boils water quickly, while retaining heat.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Keep in mind that a covered pot boils faster than an uncovered one.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This is exactly the kind of mainstream Christian view that enrages Allie Beth Stuckey.—
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
-
This enrages Rebecca, who demands half his new salary, and the pair engage in a battle for control.—
Ilana Gordon,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Production is entirely dependent on electricity and the generator burns about 700 hryvnias ($16) worth of fuel per hour.—
Kamila Hrabchuk,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The sky has deepened to a clear blue, though the famously slow sunset still burns orange on the horizon.—
Rick Jordan,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One of its two young sibling protagonists, Amber (Bianca Belle), channels her feelings about the recent death of her mother into drawings of creatures born out of her troubled imagination, some of whom enact violence against the classmate who annoys her.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
-
There's just one thing about Claire Danes that annoys Matthew Rhys.—
Yamillah Hurtado,
PEOPLE,
22 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rankles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankles. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
