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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of roiling
The West Coast From Christchurch, the TranzAlpine train climbs westward, up and over the Southern Alps, traversing large viaducts which span roiling rivers.
—
Steve Madgwick,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
Misinformation and roiling regional conflicts have compounded the challenge for authorities, with rangers from the Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest, being recruited to fight the disease too.
—
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
Canfield, as proven by her work in Stereophonic, is extremely able at playing a character with a pristine, almost porcelain surface and roiling depths.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
Scorsese is the highest-profile filmmaker to embrace the technology roiling many of his Hollywood peers and potentially representing a paradigm shift in how the film industry accepts its use.
—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
3 June 2026
Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, slashing ship traffic, roiling global energy markets and fertilizer supplies, and raising fears of rising fuel costs and food shortages far beyond the Gulf.
—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 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,
28 May 2026
In addition to the 13 deaths, the war has cost the United States at least $29 billion and greatly disrupted the global energy supply, roiling economies and driving up gas prices and overall inflation.
—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
At the start of the Global Fashion Summit, Federica Marchionni, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda, offered one of the event’s few hints of the geopolitical turmoil roiling the outside world.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
Steve Madgwick,
Travel + Leisure,
18 June 2026
Misinformation and roiling regional conflicts have compounded the challenge for authorities, with rangers from the Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest, being recruited to fight the disease too.
—
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
Canfield, as proven by her work in Stereophonic, is extremely able at playing a character with a pristine, almost porcelain surface and roiling depths.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
Scorsese is the highest-profile filmmaker to embrace the technology roiling many of his Hollywood peers and potentially representing a paradigm shift in how the film industry accepts its use.
—
Corbin Bolies,
Variety,
3 June 2026
Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, slashing ship traffic, roiling global energy markets and fertilizer supplies, and raising fears of rising fuel costs and food shortages far beyond the Gulf.
—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 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,
28 May 2026
In addition to the 13 deaths, the war has cost the United States at least $29 billion and greatly disrupted the global energy supply, roiling economies and driving up gas prices and overall inflation.
—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
At the start of the Global Fashion Summit, Federica Marchionni, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda, offered one of the event’s few hints of the geopolitical turmoil roiling the outside world.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roiling
Verb
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Rumors of guest list drama are swirling Unsurprisingly, Swift and Kelce have been tight-lipped about wedding details, but keeping an event this huge under wraps is an uphill battle.
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In May, confirming rumors that had been swirling for months, Anthropic’s life sciences lead Eric Kauderer-Abrams publicly acknowledged that the company is building out its own wet labs and hiring biologists to run its own basic research.
Verb
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Younger, more far left candidates across the nation, from California to Indiana, are running this year to try and oust older, longtime congressional incumbents — angering Democratic Party leaders.
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But Schnur said the governor likely also has concerns about angering one of his biggest backers.
Verb
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Ray continued his reinvention into a two-seam fastball pitcher, churning efficient contact outs and taking a shutout into the eighth inning before allowing an unearned run.
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With more shaking or churning, these grains grow and separate from the watery, naturally low-fat buttermilk.
Verb
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Adding secondary maturations into the bourbon lineup is likely going to divide longtime Four Roses fans, delighting some and infuriating others.
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In Chicago, these questions are interesting and infuriating because the Bulls have no say in the outcome.
Verb
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Giant factories vent massive amounts of boiling exhaust straight into the atmosphere.
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When not displaying geyser-like activity, the pool was actively boiling.
Verb
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Before the agreement was announced, Israeli forces struck in Beirut, enraging Trump, who has publicly expressed his fury with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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In May 2021, after being elected to Parliament, Ben-Gvir established a makeshift office in a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, enraging local residents.
Verb
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Ships collide furiously in a gray and seething Narrow Sea.
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And Milly’s being this sort of seething, disconnected, sardonic character who is more of an observer.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Roiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roiling. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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