as in angry
feeling or showing anger
the woman was obviously riled, as she kept throwing things
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
2
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
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Recent Examples of riled
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
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
Activists are riled up over the food delivery robots traversing the city, operated by the delivery companies Coco and Serve Robotics.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
April Fools' Day was a thing back then, too — and of course, other fanciful stories that might have gotten Chicagoans riled up have turned up since.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
While two sources say Sarandos was riled to hear about this during a chance encounter with a Penguin executive, a Netflix insider says the Co-CEO never met anyone at the publishing house regarding the book.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
The product of an online hip-hop ecosystem now built around getting attention through clipfarming social media accounts made to get millennials riled up?
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Rosenberg and others of his ilk like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones and Hasan Piker and Bob Grant from decades ago, play to their audience’s fears, getting their listeners riled up.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Golden turned and riled up the 11,000-plus in attendance.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
And yet Josh Safdie’s Oscar contender and Jacob Tierney’s TV phenomenon have riled up parts of their audience in similar ways.
—David Colman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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
Other times, the likes of junior safety Kyle Hall has gotten the defense riled up after batting down a ball that was basically in Wagner’s hands.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
Activists are riled up over the food delivery robots traversing the city, operated by the delivery companies Coco and Serve Robotics.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
April Fools' Day was a thing back then, too — and of course, other fanciful stories that might have gotten Chicagoans riled up have turned up since.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
While two sources say Sarandos was riled to hear about this during a chance encounter with a Penguin executive, a Netflix insider says the Co-CEO never met anyone at the publishing house regarding the book.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
The product of an online hip-hop ecosystem now built around getting attention through clipfarming social media accounts made to get millennials riled up?
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Rosenberg and others of his ilk like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones and Hasan Piker and Bob Grant from decades ago, play to their audience’s fears, getting their listeners riled up.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
Golden turned and riled up the 11,000-plus in attendance.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
And yet Josh Safdie’s Oscar contender and Jacob Tierney’s TV phenomenon have riled up parts of their audience in similar ways.
—David Colman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riled
Adjective
-
One of them, Amy, a blond child with limp ponytails and a thin dress that looks like it might have been stained, stands outside a porch door, her fists balled up, mouth open, angry or unhappy or both.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Adames looked more perturbed than angry, putting his hands on his hips before taking off his helmet and slowly walking to first base.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Teams routinely get annoyed with media that spends time on this sort of thing, but there is no better sales tactic than drama.—
Mac Engel
April 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2026
-
But now Lamar is doing press annoyed with me.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That this stalemate has dragged on this long has infuriated Levin, who considers keeping the government functioning a basic tenet of Congress’s job.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Employees at the store allegedly ended up sharing the footage with customers, which authorities say infuriated Pierce’s brother, Marcus Freeman.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The case dragged on for years, and the family became enraged when former District Attorney Pamela Price attempted to downgrade the charges against the three men.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Shortly after administering the technical to an enraged Self, referee Doug Sirmons hit KU’s coach with another tech, ostensibly for remaining on the court instead of returning to the coach’s box.—
Gary Bedore
March 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Only Lanie bothered to help me sort through what my mother had left behind, sort my days.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Collins believes, or at least implies, that the more radical tradition is the one that never bothered negotiating with those institutions at all—that the real fearlessness is in the work that was never asking for a seat at the table.—
Geoff Bennett,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Seoul — South Korea’s president has angered the Israeli government by sharing video on social media from 2024 that shows Israeli soldiers pushing a body off a building in the occupied West Bank.—
Gawon Bae,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The mayor's threat to raise property taxes unless Albany agrees to tax the rich angered City Council Speaker Julie Menin.—
Marcia Kramer,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Rachel, whose cousin is in a wheelchair because of a school shooter, is outraged.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Although many music fans welcomed Ye’s return to the stage there, Pepsi had also widely tagged in outraged tweets protesting the company’s apparent support for him as sole headliner.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Many people have come out of the woodwork and jumped on the bandwagon, which irritated me.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riled. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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