ROIL Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

roil

verb

ˈrȯi(-ə)l

as in to swirl

to be in a state of violent rolling motion the waters of the gulf tossed and roiled as the hurricane surged toward the shore

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to anger

to make angry the clerk's brusque refusal of her request roiled her enough to prompt a complaint to his supervisor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of roil The expansion of the contract term from three to four years represents a potentially risky move for the labor group given the rapid changes — consolidation, cost-cutting and the use of generative AI among them — currently roiling Hollywood. —

Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2026 Iran's attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing and threatened to raise the cost of many basic goods, including food. —

Arkansas Online, 4 Apr. 2026 Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of many basic goods, including food. —

Sam Mednick, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026 About 20% of the world's oil flows throw the strait, and Iran's ability to block the flow of tankers has roiled the global economy, sending oil prices soaring. —

Michael Loria, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roil

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roil

Verb

White clouds can be seen swirling on Earth's sunlit arc above the line separating night from day while the cratered expanse of the lunar disk stretches out below.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 10 Apr. 2026
Rumors had swirled for months that Epstein was the one who introduced the President and first lady, and that she could have also been trafficked by Epstein.

— StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2026