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rank

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noun

1
as in ranking
the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement attained the highest rank in the Freemasons

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in row
a series of people or things arranged side by side rank upon rank of cavalry came thundering down the hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

4

rank

3 of 3

adjective

1
as in rampant
growing thickly and vigorously covered with trumpet vines so rank you couldn't see the trellis beneath them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word rank distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of rank are fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, noisome, putrid, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How do fusty and musty relate to one another, in the sense of rank?

Both fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic
the musty odor of a damp cellar

When is malodorous a more appropriate choice than rank?

The synonyms malodorous and rank are sometimes interchangeable, but malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

In what contexts can noisome take the place of rank?

While the synonyms noisome and rank are close in meaning, noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When might putrid be a better fit than rank?

Although the words putrid and rank have much in common, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of rank?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

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 rank
Verb
The Pop Airplay chart ranks songs by weekly plays on more than 150 mainstream top 40 radio stations monitored by Mediabase, with data provided to Billboard by Luminate. Gary Trust, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2025 Despite all this fresh blood and Cronenworth’s all-around utility, the Padres entered Tuesday ranked 15th in the majors in slugging percentage since the trade deadline. Dennis Lin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Political parties on the far left and far right celebrated Bayrou's defeat and said a replacement should be chosen from their ranks. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025 The Fragrance Foundation has looked within its own ranks for its 2025 Circle of Champions honoree. James Manso, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Cosby’s good guys do things that outpace the rankest villainy in the work of other crime writers. Vulture Editors, Vulture, 8 July 2025 Just last week, as millions of Americans took to the skies, June 27 and June 29 now rank as the seventh and eighth busiest days respectively in TSA history, pushing 2025 to claim six of the agency's top 10 busiest days on record. Doc Louallen, ABC News, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for rank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank
Verb
  • Stuart Russell is convinced that there is exactly zero percent chance that this will end well.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • There is speculation that Harry could reunite with King Charles, 76.
    Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Forbes classifies Ellison–who bought nearly all of the Hawaiian island Lanai for $300 million in 2012–as a California resident based on his voter registration.
    Ella Malmgren, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Arguing that relocation can stem the loss of biodiversity, the government has classified some islands used by Nicobarese tribals as wildlife sanctuaries.
    M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Taylor and Wasserman both said Milwaukee County could not single-handedly solve the entire state's arts funding problem and that responsibility for Milwaukee's ranking lies in the state Legislature.
    Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Financially, Mexico also fares well, though safety and air quality continue to drag down its overall Quality of Life ranking.
    Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • There is power in affording others the human dignity that all of God’s children deserve.
    Russell M. Nelson, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Nusbaum, the Saint Mary’s College education professor, said Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training, along with crisis teams in schools, would help maintain the dignity of students and the safety of the teachers.
    IndyStar, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Zarutska, a refugee from Ukraine, had picked an empty row, and sat in front of a man in a red sweatshirt, unaware of the two’s imminent collision course.
    Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The trio of authors — thriller novelist Andrea Bartz and nonfiction writers Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson — who sued last year also sat in the front row of the court gallery, but didn’t address Alsup.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • That's the beauty — and the challenge — of the category.
    Jackie Fields, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Two neighbors are likely experiencing much wider differences in inflation than the differences when looking at categories like age or race.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These sanctions, the US claims, are meant to target rampant corruption and human rights abuses in the country, as well as its leaders’ undermining of democracy.
    Andrew Raine, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Speculation of a breakup is rampant but the news is not yet public.
    Caleb Hammond, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019

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Cite this Entry

“Rank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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