1
as in swirling
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in angering
to make angry
the clerk's brusque refusal of her request roiled her enough to prompt a complaint to his supervisor
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of roiling
The issue of antisemitism is also roiling the Green Party, which has passed Labour in the polls, but is now facing numerous scandals involving its candidates posting antisemitic content.
—
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Nonetheless, Munden added his own visual flair, with color saturation, distorted close-ups to show the characters’ disorientation, and mesmerizing shots of nature writ large (raging fires, roiling ocean waves, torrential storms) and small (ants devouring a bug).
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
At the time, the boy was the youngest person to be fatally shot by a Chicago police officer in years, with the shooting roiling the city, leading to protests, calls for reform and eventually policy changes around when and how police can chase people.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Choreographer Amy Campbell has created a consistent kinetic style that becomes as important as the roiling rock score in keeping this show on track.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
House Republicans are fracturing over a bipartisan immigration plan, a feud that serves as a microcosm of the broader battle roiling the party ahead of the midterms.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
But after the price of oil surged with the advent of the Iran war, roiling expectations for inflation, the markets began pricing those cuts out, with some investors even bracing for the possibility of rate hikes this year.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
And with recent geopolitical events like the war in Iran roiling markets, investing feels more precarious than ever.
—Jessica Bryant, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Nonetheless, Munden added his own visual flair, with color saturation, distorted close-ups to show the characters’ disorientation, and mesmerizing shots of nature writ large (raging fires, roiling ocean waves, torrential storms) and small (ants devouring a bug).
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
At the time, the boy was the youngest person to be fatally shot by a Chicago police officer in years, with the shooting roiling the city, leading to protests, calls for reform and eventually policy changes around when and how police can chase people.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Choreographer Amy Campbell has created a consistent kinetic style that becomes as important as the roiling rock score in keeping this show on track.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
House Republicans are fracturing over a bipartisan immigration plan, a feud that serves as a microcosm of the broader battle roiling the party ahead of the midterms.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
But after the price of oil surged with the advent of the Iran war, roiling expectations for inflation, the markets began pricing those cuts out, with some investors even bracing for the possibility of rate hikes this year.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
And with recent geopolitical events like the war in Iran roiling markets, investing feels more precarious than ever.
—Jessica Bryant, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roiling
Verb
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There's everything from resentment to jealousy, favouritism, and deceit swirling around in a boiling-hot cauldron where fair is foul and foul is fair.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
-
Questions have been swirling about whether Cunningham would caucus — join party meetings at the legislature — with Democrats or join Republicans.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The economic cost of the war is now palpable – with cell-phone data outages that regularly blight major cities angering even the pro-Putin bourgeoisie – adding to a sense of the war beginning to hit the urban elite, who until now were mostly isolated from the invasion’s impact.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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Starmer’s comments risk angering many within his party, who will take issue with his linking of antisemitism with pro-Palestinian activism.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The religious men took up residence among the locals—people who spent their days tending cows and sheep, churning butter, weeding onions and turnips, scouring the forests for mushrooms, and chiseling sculptures from the local limestone.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
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This is survival rendered in its rawest, ugliest, most gut-churning form.—
Eva Holland,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 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
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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
Verb
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One-Pan Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Peas All the creaminess of a traditional chicken alfredo (one of our favorite chicken recipes)—minus the extra pot for boiling the pasta.—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
24 Apr. 2026
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Pouring 2 to 3 gallons of boiling water on a fire ant mound will kill the mound about 60% of the time.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The culmination of the story is Michael revealing on stage that this would be the Jacksons' last show together, enraging his father Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo).—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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Orbán had vetoed the bill after initially agreeing to it, enraging EU officials and counterparts across the 27-nation bloc.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Somewhere, Archie is seething with jealously.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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Her Catherine is less defined by the quirky, appealing eccentricities of Mary-Louise Parker’s performance in the original 2000 Broadway staging, but is girded by a certain angry resignation, fearful of what life might have in store, furious too, yet seething with a will to defy it all.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Day 1 of the truce, and in the days since, Israel has stepped up attacks against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in Lebanon, outraging Iran and leading to accusations the terms had been breached.—
Justin Fishel,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Roiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roiling. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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