rank 1 of 3

rank

2 of 3

noun

1
as in ranking
the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement attained the highest rank in the Freemasons

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in row
a series of people or things arranged side by side rank upon rank of cavalry came thundering down the hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

4

rank

3 of 3

adjective

1
as in rampant
growing thickly and vigorously covered with trumpet vines so rank you couldn't see the trellis beneath them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4

Synonym Chooser

How is the word rank distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of rank are fetid, fusty, malodorous, musty, noisome, putrid, and stinking. While all these words mean "bad-smelling," rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

How do fusty and musty relate to one another, in the sense of rank?

Both fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic
the musty odor of a damp cellar

When is malodorous a more appropriate choice than rank?

The synonyms malodorous and rank are sometimes interchangeable, but malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

In what contexts can noisome take the place of rank?

While the synonyms noisome and rank are close in meaning, noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

When might putrid be a better fit than rank?

Although the words putrid and rank have much in common, putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

How are the words stinking and fetid related as synonyms of rank?

Both stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

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 rank
Verb
Advisers are ranked by the revenue and nights booked for the Four Seasons. Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2025 Buffett is currently ranked as the world’s fourth-wealthiest person by Bloomberg, with a net worth of $154 billion — up from sixth-wealthiest on Monday. Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
Eventually, Christ the King Catholic Church asked the family to leave its ranks. Tony Holt, Arkansas Online, 7 Apr. 2025 Los Angeles Lakers superstar shooting guard Kobe Bryant, fresh off an NBA Finals loss, galvanized the club by joining its ranks. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Only Tokio is expected to remain, albeit in rank 3, while Osaka/Kyoto is expected to fall as far as rank 13 by 2040, down from formerly rank 3. Katharina Buchholz, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 Brownfield to wetlands: Pima county officials plan green future for contaminated facility Finally, John Leos visited Tucson to meet with some of the folks who are trying to clean-up a wastewater treatment plant that, for years, filled surrounding areas with a pretty rank odor. Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 30 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for rank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank
Verb
  • There is this whole segment of people that just collect The Masters.
    Larry Holder, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
  • There are examples of Premier League clubs being sold with outstanding shareholder loans where this hasn’t happened.
    Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the Western Santa Cruz tortoises as critically endangered, estimating approximately 3,400 tortoises remained as of 2010.
    Ayana Archie, NPR, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Kathleen Kelley Reardon, an expert on organizational politics, classifies political environments from minimally to pathologically politicized.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Moana also returned to the movie rankings after two weeks outside the top 10 with 223 million minutes.
    Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
  • That’s high praise for a player who until pretty recently was just trying to finish number-one in the PGA Tour University rankings.
    Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Many Cambodians, particularly in the countryside, welcomed the Khmer Rouge, with its mix of hard-line communist ideology and extreme Cambodian nationalism, as liberators who promised to restore order and dignity.
    Sophal Ear, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The importance of connection and socialization is evident every day in Florida’s assisted living communities, a communal long-term care setting designed to provide seniors with a sense of dignity, independence and belonging.
    Gail Matillo, Sun Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Clue: This Wordle has two consonants and two vowels in a row.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The fresh graves of their dead wives and children are lined neatly in a row, the result of a strike hastily agreed to over text message thousands of miles away.
    Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • For instance, the international feature category currently honors the submitting country, not the director — even though the director’s name is engraved on the Oscar statuette.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The category’s inaugural Oscar will be given out in 2028 at the 100th Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2027.
    Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • More recently, China’s rampant overfishing of its own coastal waters has meant expanding fishing in the South China Sea and using fishing fleets to assert new territorial claims.
    Bradley J. Cardinale, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Economic piracy in Southeast Asia is especially rampant in the Strait of Malacca, a critical shipping channel off the coast of Malaysia.
    Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This is about a team with a top-10 payroll whose GM committed too stinking much of it to dogs that can’t, or won’t, pull the sled.
    Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2019
  • Muttaiah said the man inside the stinking manhole was working without any safety equipment — no gloves, no shoes, no supplemental oxygen.
    Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2019

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!