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
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
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
-
At its heart sits Viti, a striking blue crater lake that steams invitingly in contrast to the stark black landscape.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
-
CookingPal’s gadget suggests meals, fetches recipes, chops, stirs, and steams ingredients, and then cleans up after itself.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
And nothing angers the Survivor gods more than reality TV hubris.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Kirk assassination angers and unsettles leaders, residents The assassination of Kirk, which happened in front of hundreds of people and was captured on video and widely circulated on social media, has in particular rattled the nation and drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum.—
Mark Vancleave,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
30 Sep. 2025
-
As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Investigative reporting is bad enough; often what really infuriates him is jokes.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Elsewhere, the photo of Cartman is a reference to his reaction of Clyde’s incendiary new podcast that has a right wing theme that infuriates the perpetual instigator.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Once sugar is dissolved, cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Sep. 2025
-
How could something that boils water ever get dirty?—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And whether the Carolina Panthers are just stuck in an endless loop of embarrassment, one that alternately humiliates and enrages their fans.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The episode also takes aim at conservative podcast culture with a storyline involving a fourth grader named Clyde who finds fame as a White nationalist podcaster, which enrages Eric Cartman, who is the show’s resident bigot.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In fact, Anderson is laughing at both sides while the world burns.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Oil splatters can leave a residue that burns onto the stovetop.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Naturally, this annoys Alex to no end.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Sep. 2025
-
This annoys his wife, who hankers after Bingley (sight unseen) as a future son-in-law.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rankles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankles. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share