riley

adjective

ˈrī-lē How to pronounce riley (audio)
Definition of rileynext
1
as in angry
feeling or showing anger some visibly riley people were lined up in the customer service department

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in muddy
having visible particles in liquid suspension take care not to stir up the bottom of the stream when you fill the dipper, or your water will be riley

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riley
  1. angry
  2. muddy
  3. mad
  4. ballistic
  5. enraged
  6. indignant
  7. furious
  8. outraged
Adjective
  • Around the world, angry locals displaced from their neighborhoods by the high cost of living are revolting against the $135 billion short-term rental industry.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • In person, the range-topping Spider looks hilariously boxy up front, deliciously wedgy from the side, and surprisingly angry from the back.
    — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 15 July 2026
Definition of angry
Adjective
  • The crabs also burrow in the muddy seafloor to hide from predators and better withstand winter temperatures.
    — Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • For thrill-seekers, adventure tours, such as the Hall Crawl or Guts and Glory, offer hands-on spelunking experiences through muddy passages and challenging climbs.
    — Korrin Bishop, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
Definition of muddy
Adjective
  • The popularity of those films has set off a mad hunt to unearth the next Parsons or Barker.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • Trump got mad enough at Graham to release the senator’s personal cellphone number.
    — Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of mad
Adjective
  • The company said the spacecraft will support efforts focused on threats from hypersonic and ballistic weapons.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
  • Eleven people were wounded in the capital, Kyiv, by an attack that used ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 11 July 2026
Definition of ballistic
Adjective
  • At the same time, locals became enraged with both the aesthetic of the homes and the business practices of the developers as the town began to take shape.
    — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2026
  • Beach removed the Knee Defender, but then became enraged when the woman reclined forcefully, risking damage to his computer.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
Definition of enraged
Adjective
  • The book-club members roundly disliked it, indignant that the character was being driven mad by perimenopause, as if hormone-replacement therapy didn’t exist.
    — Melanie Thernstrom, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Judge Timothy Mazzei asked him Wednesday in a loud, indignant voice.
    — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Definition of indignant
Adjective
  • Additional sources recently told the National Examiner that William is furious about Harry and Meghan’s reported desire to collaborate with Netflix on the documentary.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 18 July 2026
  • Nolan doesn’t exactly share his hero’s reticence; one of his signature tactics as a writer is to place blocky, boldface ideas in furious opposition.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of furious
Adjective
  • Mosley’s attorney, Paul London, said his client posted the video to social media looking for attention — but didn’t bargain for the outraged response from animal lovers that forced him to flee his Bronx apartment.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
  • European soccer fans, the Belgian national soccer federation, the Union of European Football Associations, and many other commentators were outraged that Balogun's unjust red card had essentially been delayed.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of outraged
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.

Phrases Containing riley

Browse Nearby Words

riles
riley
riling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Riley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riley. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dog days

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All