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
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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
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Recent Examples of rankles
The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work.
—
Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
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
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
Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankles
Verb
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During that time, the steak essentially steams.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
-
This all comes as the legal fight over the audit steams ahead, over 15 months after 72% of the state signed off on the ballot measure.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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What angers me is thinking about what could have been.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The Sandy Fire rages on a hill behind houses at a residential area in Simi Valley, California, on May 18, 2026.—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
As the war [by Russia in Ukraine] rages on, Sakha culture is increasingly reaching beyond its borders and building new connections with the East.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Georgia Supreme Court challenger Jen Jordan infuriates Republicans with a new fundraising email.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
15 May 2026
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To that end, Nate's extravagant wedding infuriates Naz, who thinks Nate has the ability to pay him back but is holding out on him.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His weight fluctuated and boils broke out under his arms and along his neck, said Ramos, who frequently speaks with Castillo and Otero via phone.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
Once the water boils, turn off the heat, move the pan off the burner, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10 minutes.—
Maddie Topliff,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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In the opening minutes of Dutton Ranch, Beth and Rip are blissfully happy on their new Montana ranch — until a wildfire breaks out and burns their entire property to the ground.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Kristen finds her way back to her natural vivacity, but the brightness burns differently.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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Or when Reggie purposefully annoys Arthur by having his son, Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), practice with his a cappella group in Arthur’s editing suite, a move that demonstrates the increasingly teasing affection between Arthur and Reggie.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rankles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankles. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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