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 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in Lisbon still rankles.
—
Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 21 May 2026
That such a talented businessman seems to have so little faith in the point of his product certainly rankles this consumer.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
That is something that rankles Stammen, among others.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
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
Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 21 May 2026
That such a talented businessman seems to have so little faith in the point of his product certainly rankles this consumer.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
That is something that rankles Stammen, among others.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankles
Verb
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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
-
The court’s intervention to stop the recount angers Democrats to this day.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
20 Nov. 2025
-
And nothing angers the Survivor gods more than reality TV hubris.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There were accusations that officers delayed confronting Mateen, and that their failures were covered up, controversy that rages in some quarters to this day.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, as war rages on in the Middle East, the skies over Iran are filled with toxic fumes, Bloomberg climate reporter Laura Millan writes.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
That infuriates many, especially Hispanics, who are more likely to be lower income.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
6 Nov. 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
-
The intense heat boils water and the high-pressure steam drives turbines that generate electricity.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 June 2026
-
So that boils out at these kinds of assemblies.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
26 May 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
-
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra burns following a Russian strike overnight.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
-
At the same time, your body burns fewer calories at rest.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
What is the pettiest thing that annoys you during a race weekend?—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
That is the kind of talk that annoys Meyer, who noted the San Diego Padres used to take from the revenue-sharing fund and now pay into it.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rankles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankles. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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