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
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 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
In August, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jan Paul van Hecke found out that riling up Haaland is not a tactic that works.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 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
-
An annoying, biker beast blasted out of my bowels onto the page and became the not-so-invisible embodiment of my disease.—
David Soren,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
-
In any case, this costume would probably go over best with a crowd of theater kids and/or people who are annoying about movies, also known as the exact Venn Diagram that is the staff of Them dot us.—
James Factora,
Them.,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Saft, not bothering to remove his sneakers, leaped onto a chair to place an ornate gold mirror over the mantelpiece.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Talk through what’s bothering you to gain a compassionate perspective.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Following physical and emotional abuse, Lafferty became an anxious child who was constantly afraid of angering adults around her.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The new program, Train SMART, also risks angering a network of grassroots chapters and gun violence prevention volunteers at Everytown.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Mosquitoes may be tiny, but their bites can pack an irritating punch.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Critics note the time and effort needed to remove stubborn labels—after all, few things are more irritating than peeling off a label and being met with sticky residue.—
Caelan McMichael,
Allure,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Co-worker bugging you during heads down time?—
Sam Woodward,
USA Today,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The journey, first to Paris and then through Switzerland and Milan and onwards to Venice, was for the most part pleasant, being blessedly free of many of the wearisome and often infuriating hindrances and misdirections that rail travel usually entails.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Oct. 2025
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Don’t be surprised if this is a hot-hand situation, though, and rather infuriating.—
Jake Ciely,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For one Reddit user, navigating recovery on crutches became even more frustrating when her fiancé repeatedly left her car without gas.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
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That was the momentum swing that cost the Saints most significantly in a frustrating road loss.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
-
For 25 years, Chavism has co-opted Venezuela's infrastructure for its own enrichment, persecuting journalists and opposition, wrecking the economy, and leaving its citizens in poverty.—
Kristina Foltz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riling. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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