RILED Synonyms: 264 Similar and Opposite Words

riled 1 of 2

adjective

as in angry

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

riled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rile

as in annoyed

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts one sure way to rile me is to keep yelling for me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in infuriated

to make angry her husband isn't easily riled, but once he is, he stays that way for days

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 riled

Adjective

In any case, the epilogue sticks the landing and allows audiences to leave the theater feeling riled up rather than hopeless. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026 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

Sydney Sweeney has riled up some leading female athletes with her risqué ad campaign for Novig, the sports betting platform. — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riled

Adjective

Now a new Cherry Orchard, the work of another Australian auteur, Simon Stone, has put down roots in the cavernous drill hall of the Park Avenue Armory, and the angry young tutor goes even further.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Punk rock has always been tied to the idea that both artists and listeners are angry — frustrated with the system, furious at injustice.

— Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of angry

Verb

The rare curtain call on the road continued an outpouring of support from Mets fans for Alonso over the past two nights — and apparently annoyed at least one of his former teammates.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
One guy in cargo shorts and a battered Ramones T-shirt kept casting dirty looks at the sky, clearly annoyed at the thumping of the TV news helicopters — there were at least three overhead at all times — drowning out his commentary.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of annoyed

Verb

Sydney Sweeney is no stranger to starring in a controversial ad — and her latest effort has infuriated female athletes, including Olympians.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
But Marcia was beginning to sound like Marcia on the page, Marcia in those essays that both excited and infuriated her readers.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of infuriated

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

Definition of enraged

Verb

She was treated with such indifference by the Bordens that, with the exception of Abby, no one bothered to learn her name, calling her by the name of their last servant, Maggie, instead.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
What’s bothered me, though, is how its backers have anchored their messaging around a lot of misleading generalizations about the state of college sports.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of bothered

Adjective

When Staffieri was finally alerted by the non-profit PeerK12 organization in late August 2025 to what had happened three months prior, she was appropriately outraged that proper procedures were not followed.

— Marsha Sutton, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2026
Residents were also outraged that the nearby Santa Ynez Reservoir, which had been drained for lengthy repairs, sat empty and dry as neighborhoods burned.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of outraged

Verb

The episode confused and irritated the Red Sox, and following Saturday’s win starting pitcher Sonny Gray acknowledged that Alexander’s antics had provided the club with extra motivation.

— Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
The comments irritated Ilicali, who took to social media in response.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of irritated

Browse Nearby Words

rile

riled

riles

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Riled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riled. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of riled

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

elegiac

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes