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
That notion has its romantic appeal, of course, but rankles all the same for its score of simplifications.
—
Rhoda Feng, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
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 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
Rhoda Feng, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026
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 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
-
LaCava said the change seems like another city policy that angers many residents without major impact.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
-
What angers me is thinking about what could have been.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
As labor complications ensue, a blizzard rages outside trapping the family in their home – sitting ducks for whatever sinister presence might be in there with them.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The military operation included hits on ballistic missile storage facilities, according to reports, as war rages on in the Middle East.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ugh, Salley infuriates me more than people who stop at the top of the subway stairs to check their phone.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
No one exemplifies that, and infuriates Twins fans more, than Ortiz.—
Brian Hall,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The southern gothic The Heart, She Holler takes the convoluted elements of a soap opera — torrid affairs, small-town corruption, arbitrary plot twists — and boils them down alongside a heavy dose of gross-out surrealism to fit into 11-minute installments.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Bobbi boils with resentment and shame when Recife’s crooked police chief undermines his masculinity.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 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
-
Your former and now our vice president burns me up.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The plant in the Ottawa County community just west of Grand Rapids has operated since 1962 and burns nearly 13,000 tons of coal every day to provide energy to people all across Michigan.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Think of something that annoys you, connect it to masculinity by adding bro, and proceed as though that bro were a category of person.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rankles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankles. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
