as in annoying
causing annoyance
a riling habit that drives his wife crazy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bothering
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 angering
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 riling
Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
Isaacman made the comments while endorsing a proposal to halve NASA's science budget, riling some astronomers.
—CBS News, 4 May 2026
Some clips showed owls and ravens attacking the couple, especially riling up fans.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
His players were shown footage of the tackle, calculatedly riling up their ire for next week.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Despite losing to Georgia in the conference championship game, DeBoer's Crimson Tide earned one of this year's 12 CFP spots, potentially riling up coaches and fans from other programs who felt their teams got snubbed.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Officials like Bongino are in the awkward position of backtracking after years of highlighting the case and lobbying for the release of information from the sidelines — riling up their viewers and supporters in the process.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 8 July 2025
Verb
McCarty said, riling up the crowd.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
Isaacman made the comments while endorsing a proposal to halve NASA's science budget, riling some astronomers.
—CBS News, 4 May 2026
Some clips showed owls and ravens attacking the couple, especially riling up fans.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
His players were shown footage of the tackle, calculatedly riling up their ire for next week.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Despite losing to Georgia in the conference championship game, DeBoer's Crimson Tide earned one of this year's 12 CFP spots, potentially riling up coaches and fans from other programs who felt their teams got snubbed.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Officials like Bongino are in the awkward position of backtracking after years of highlighting the case and lobbying for the release of information from the sidelines — riling up their viewers and supporters in the process.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 8 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riling
Adjective
-
He-Man was now a jolly, quip-ready hero, whose best friends were scaredy-cat Cringer (a green-and-yellow tiger who transformed into Battle Cat), and an annoying, hovering magician called Orko.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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Why Microsoft passkeys may feel confusing at first Security upgrades can be annoying.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Brunson turned on the boosters in the second half, attacking the Spurs' defense and showing little sign that his knee was bothering him.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
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If certain smells or experiences are bothering you, here are some other tips for managing postpartum odor and sweat.—
Dory Zayas,
Parents,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The Star, which also looked into the killing, revealed that Jordan’s associations with organized crime figures, as well as his apparent disregard for angering them, likely contributed to his death.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
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In the biblical Tower of Babel story, humans are driven by hubris to try to create a tower tall enough to touch the sky, angering God in the process.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Again, this is very Yellowstone for Rip to have an excessively violent response to an irritating obstacle.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
This is a company that built its reputation on engineering discipline, financial caution, and an almost irritating level of consistency.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 May 2026
Verb
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His doctor had been bugging him for years to get a colonoscopy because of his age, but Driggers declined.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
-
Get clear about what’s bugging you.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
Verb
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There’s no ghastly passenger touchscreen, no dimwitted haptic touchpads and no infuriating AI assistant.—
Alistair Charlton,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The film can also feel infuriating — quite intentionally so.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
No longer being completely bound to a relaxer, these four women began navigating the fun, at times frustrating, terrain of natural hair care.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
29 May 2026
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When to See a Doctor For the vast majority of new parents, dry skin is a temporary, frustrating nuisance that resolves as your hormones stabilize and your body adjusts to its new rhythm.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Jack Hayford, the founder of the King’s University, in Texas, claimed that the film was persecuting Christians, who only wanted to be treated equally.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
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Behind the story One of the really big stories on my beat covering China for the last decade has been Beijing's intensive ramp-up in detaining and persecuting Uyghurs, a primarily Muslim ethnic minority.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riling. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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