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
Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 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
Jaxson de Ville is riling up supporters via pub crawl.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Oct. 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
With this police run-in, Country Joe and the Fish received a slew of press, riling up the public ahead of their Woodstock performance.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 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
Jaxson de Ville is riling up supporters via pub crawl.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Oct. 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
-
Go to Paris and be with your annoying bohemian friends!—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
And every family has that annoying uncle that makes horrible jokes or one situation after another.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sit there like nothing is bothering you.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
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But that doesn’t excuse failing to execute on the ABCs of lobbying — such as not bothering even to show up at a hearing on a policy the mayor considers an urgent priority.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mamdani’s also done an about-face on the city’s rental assistance program, CityFHEPs, angering progressive allies.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
This causes a rift within the family, particularly angering the eldest son, Erik, who feels deeply betrayed.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In both Dream Scenario and The Drama, Borgli sides with the maligned, framing those who cast judgment as shrewish and needling (exemplified in The Drama with a deliciously irritating performance from Alana Haim).—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
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Here's where things get a bit irritating.—
Justin Pot,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
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But so much of my journalism has been about something that’s bugging me.—
Jack Denton,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The gap between what Greg and I did—and, more importantly, thought about—became a gigantic infuriating cavern for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
In San Francisco, a Waymo vehicle struck and killed a bodega cat in the city’s Mission District last fall, infuriating residents.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Five baserunners and two homers later, the Tigers had a 5-1 lead en route to another frustrating start for Crochet in what’s been a season-long trend for the rotation.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
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Though Sunday did mark some level of improvement after last Monday’s catastrophe, Crochet acknowledged that this outing was even more frustrating.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The order also accused the Cuban government of persecuting political opponents, suppressing free speech and the press, and committing other human rights violations—actions that have been documented by human rights organizations over the years.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
17 Mar. 2026
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But so often left unsaid by Gu are the moral ambiguities that come with choosing to represent a country that has been heavily criticized by Human Rights Watch, among other watchdog groups, for denying rights of freedom of expression and for persecuting government critics.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riling. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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