1
as in angry
feeling or showing anger some visibly riley people were lined up in the customer service department

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riley
Adjective
  • JPMorgan Chase, the biggest bank in America, has been angry for years about being forced to hand over customer data to fintech companies for free.
    Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • Hastings said he’s heard from people angry about State Farm’s rates.
    Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • If the condition is severe, as might happen if the bottom of the pot is full of water, remove the hibiscus, gently knock off the wet, muddy soil, rinse the roots clean, and repot with fresh potting soil in a well-draining pot.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2025
  • The muddy, wet game was played on a sloppy field but ended with an 8-0 victory for Michigan in front of a few hundred Notre Dame students.
    David Ubben, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Marketing and advertising have undergone a similar shift from mad men to math men.
    Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
  • Hurwitz is a descendant of Bernstein and the mad d.j.s, the heir to the most expressive of musical explainers and celebrants.
    David Denby, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
Adjective
  • These improvements will enhance communication, provide state of the art technology and provide upgrades to ballistic glass and physical security.
    Luke Barr, ABC News, 10 July 2025
  • The movie has pummeling battles, giant plushy troll monsters, characters hurtling through space, and a general air of ballistic wizardry.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • In a 48-hour whirlwind, President Donald Trump veered from elated to indignant to triumphant as his fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire agreement came together, teetered toward collapse and ultimately coalesced.
    Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
  • In a memorable photo from a G-7 summit during his first term, the U.S. president sat, arms crossed, glaring at an indignant German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
    JENNIFER LIND, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • As a result of their negligence, a little boy who lives in the Flats dies, and Sodality is furious.
    Deborah Williams July 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
  • Lansing, the first woman to lead a Hollywood studio, was furious.
    Michael Grynbaum, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Riley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riley. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

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