as in acrimonious
having or showing deep-seated resentment
a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him
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Recent Examples of rancorous
The committee’s Democratic members savaged Rubio for diminishing America’s global role; the meeting grew so rancorous that Senator Jim Risch, a Republican from Idaho who was Rubio’s closest friend in the Senate, had to repeatedly bang his gavel to bring order.
—
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Kennedy’s retirement from active service on the court was followed by a rancorous and highly political process of confirmation for Kavanaugh, who was successfully nominated by Trump in 2018.
—Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The timing of the announcement appeared not to be coincidental, coming as Disney reached a rancorous carriage impasse with YouTube TV.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
The conversations were spirited and robust but hardly rancorous.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rancorous
Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Kennedy’s retirement from active service on the court was followed by a rancorous and highly political process of confirmation for Kavanaugh, who was successfully nominated by Trump in 2018.
—Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The timing of the announcement appeared not to be coincidental, coming as Disney reached a rancorous carriage impasse with YouTube TV.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
The conversations were spirited and robust but hardly rancorous.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rancorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rancorous
Adjective
-
The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
An acrimonious fracture between Anthropic and senior defense officials exposed a recurring fault line between the Pentagon and Silicon Valley over the looming risks of AI at war.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bill, who was a Vietnam War veteran, tended to be angry and demanding at home.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 May 2026
-
An angry crowd rioted outside an Australian Outback hospital where a man accused of killing a 5-year-old girl was treated for a vigilante beating.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Stretching or using a foam roller on sore or tight muscles can apply pressure to the fascia while stretching the limb, Kanjiya says.—
Scott Haak,
EverydayHealth.com,
6 May 2026
-
In a steam room, the moist heat will soothe sore muscles and joints and can be useful for conditions like arthritis or muscle stiffness.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
During Chicago’s bitter winter of 2013-2014, the Humboldt Park Lagoon froze over, and snow piled on top of the thick layer of ice, plunging vegetation into a deadly darkness.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
-
Blake Lively agreed to settle her retaliation lawsuit against Justin Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios, dodging a trial over the bitter Hollywood feud weeks before it was set to begin and bringing an end to a conflict that has sparked widespread interest for nearly two years.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Senate Bill 6-D, one of the cynical subjects of this special session, would have further weakened Florida’s childhood vaccination rates, which have already sunk too low.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Both Angela Ingersoll, who played the ever-hopeful Sally, and Michelle Duffy, as the cynical realist Phyllis, pulsed with vivacious energy, playing across from Rapp’s sardonic take on wound-tight Ben and Wallem’s deeply sad exploration of Buddy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Xi’s brand of resentful nationalism, meanwhile, comes with a strong anti-American streak, and security apparatchiks see CIA spies everywhere.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
When made on a grand, industrial scale, art requires a team, always with the risk of significant contributors feeling discarded or resentful.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lindsay looks at old photos of them online with a half-wistful, half-embittered expression, but ultimately blocks him.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The latest twist in the embittered legal feud follows Semafor’s reporting that press releases sent by Musk lawyer Marc Toberoff — which used to come from a PR firm — are now being sent by WME.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Verified video and photos from the region showed how sprawling strikes across parts of Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley shot towering columns of acrid smoke into the sky above the capital and sparked a desperate evacuation.—
Matt Bradley,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The dots soon became acrid splotches of oil.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rancorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rancorous. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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