rank 1 of 3

rank

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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

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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
Florida ranks 32 in the nation for the amount of federal funding per student spent toward K-12, according to the Education Data Initiative. Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2025 According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Maryland ranks last nationally in hospital offloads. Rebecca Pryor, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
Amazon, the nation’s second-largest private employer, has long sought to keep unions out of its ranks. Annie Palmer, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2025 Here’s what to know about the federal workforce, its job protections and the process of cutting back on its ranks. Brian Witte, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
But nobody has ever managed to do what BMW has: Its new TwinPower engine, also known as the N20, is so powerful and responsive that only a rank sentimentalist would miss the six-cylinder. IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2012 At the time, both the EU and the US were passive in the face of such shenanigans coupled the rankest disinformation. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for rank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank
Verb
  • Currently, there is no data on the containment status of the fire and the cause has yet to be determined.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025
  • There is hope among Glossip’s advocates that Drummond and Behenna will avoid a new prosecution.
    Dakin Andone, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Previous assessments already painted a grim picture, with a third of sharks, rays, and chimaeras classified as threatened with extinction.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The United States classified Hezbollah as a terror organization after the 1983 bombing of the US Marine barracks in Beirut.
    Jane Arraf, NPR, 23 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • That stretch of victories earned Hooker the No. 14 ranking in the 155-pound division against the No. 5 ranked Edson Barboza in the co-main event of a UFC on FOX card.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
    Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Prioritizing High-Potential, High-Risk Populations While the strategies – and rhetoric – vary, every Administration in modern history has embraced the goal of creating jobs that offer dignity and economic stability in order to shore up America’s economic position and maximizing our human capital.
    Maria Flynn, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
  • The Trump administration has made the border a zone that is overtly hostile to human rights and displays utter disregard for the humanity and dignity of people on the move.
    Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Mater Dei Catholic, seeded No. 12 in the CIF San Diego Section Division 1 playoffs, losers of 11 in a row and a team in turmoil after coach Jason Bryant was let go earlier in the season, followed by the departure of several key players, had no chance.
    John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
  • This is the third year in a row the collector has exclusively opened up his vault for Tiffany & Co. The pearls are not reserved only for the birds.
    Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The production’s huge success was replicated on Broadway, where the show won the Tony for best play, along with additional awards for direction and various categories of design.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Here, a deeper look at the recent evolution of the hydration category and where it’s headed.
    Emily Burns, WWD, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • There’s a didactic, Brechtian structure to the movie — Brecht is cited several times in the dialogue — in which Jude asks the viewer to question what the death of Ion means in a society wracked by rampant capitalism, racist nationalism and religious extremism.
    Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Musk has claimed there is rampant fraud taking place at the SSA, including payments being made to millions of long-dead recipients, which has been widely disputed.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Rank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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