riled 1 of 2

as in angry
feeling or showing anger the woman was obviously riled, as she kept throwing things

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

riled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rile
1
2

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 riled
Adjective
The Aaron Rodgers segment on ESPN got folks on both sides of the Anthony Fauci debate quite riled up on Monday. Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Jacobs, at least in the movie, never gets riled or angry or stressed. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026 The more people tell them to pipe down, the more riled up Kizzi and Joe get. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026 They’re aided by a small team of assistants who double as dogsitters when Siwa’s poodle Clyde gets too riled up in the dance studio — he’s been known to nip the ankles of men. Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
Township officials accused me of a power grab and riled up the local township boards, which came out en masse. Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026 And while enough baseball (and IL time) has happened since then to dim Mayer’s star considerably, there’s enough promise left in him to get Law riled up about the trade. Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Offseason inaction on the pitching side already riled folks up, though … and methinks alleviating that angst will require something more adventurous. Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 29 July 2026 This riled up the Kremlin, which works to create a perception of total support for Putin among the voting public. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 17 July 2026 Its reporting angered not only other Arab leaders, sometimes to the point of diplomatic rupture, but also riled Washington. Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 Water use, electricity costs and more have riled up large portions of the electorate. Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 24 June 2026 That’s the only explicable reason for Australians to be riled up by comments from a guy most American fans can’t pick out of a lineup, whose most productive season came for a club literally named the Rough Riders. Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 After New York pulled off a 29-point comeback against the Spurs at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, June 10, riled up fans flocked to the San Antonio team's New York City hotel, where Wembanyama was met with boos and nearly pelted with eggs. Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riled
Adjective
  • Perhaps the Giants believe pitching angry benefits Houser, too.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Occupants of a residence on the 1400 block of 104th Avenue were angry at the auto body shop for parking lots of cars outside, loud noises and excessive garbage.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Millard was either won over by Makowsky’s passion or annoyed into agreement by his persistence.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026
  • There is a section of NASCAR fans today that are annoyed that Kyle Larson won the Knoxville race.
    Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But for the medieval and classics scholar in Kratz, the film invited questions and infuriated him at times.
    Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Under its previous operator, Mountain View had been plagued by riots that drew negative press and infuriated locals.
    Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Imagine the ripe smell of swamp-wet dogs, the acrid stench of overheated, enraged bear, the slippery warm blood of pack members already lost; the simply insufferable noise and confusion in that dank little hole.
    Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • As a consequence, Nadia’s enraged sponsors send her packing back to Europe.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Right-handed reliever Joel Peguero (left hamstring strain) will be shut down for the rest of the year due to a recurring hamstring strain that’s bothered him since spring training.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Woolen’s reaching hands bothered Brown enough that, while fielding another slant, Brown lost his grip on the football, which popped into the air.
    Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The White House had previously angered US ranchers by quadrupling low-tariff imports of Argentine beef to cool prices.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • During a joint practice last summer in Houston, Moehrig decked Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson on a hard but clean hit that angered a few of Hutchinson’s teammates.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • While federal officials did not plan to build a wall through the park, public lands advocates were outraged when contractors began bulldozing access roads through the area in early to mid-August.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Leaders in that town were also outraged and are calculating the cost of clean up with the intention of billing the firm, officials have said.
    Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But the idea has irritated California’s billionaire class, and some have left the state in protest or threatened to do so.
    Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
  • Hasslers, the researchers found, tended to be people who irritated the study respondents but whom the respondents could not escape.
    Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Riled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riled. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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