1
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to infuriate
to make angry
it rankles me when some schools can't even afford paper and pencils for the students
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 rankle
Even before the theft, the piece rankled more than a few people in Denmark.
—
Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Mar. 2025
The announcement was seen as an olive branch from Rubio to Musk, whose aggressive efforts to get into all corners of the federal government have rankled the secretary of State and other Cabinet officials.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images His response appeared to rankle the committee chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La, who spoke about fears from public health experts that the government might direct resources toward a new study.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 5 Mar. 2025
Earlier in February, Vance addressed the Munich Security Conference with a speech that rankled European leaders.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Mar. 2025
The announcement was seen as an olive branch from Rubio to Musk, whose aggressive efforts to get into all corners of the federal government have rankled the secretary of State and other Cabinet officials.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images His response appeared to rankle the committee chair, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La, who spoke about fears from public health experts that the government might direct resources toward a new study.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 5 Mar. 2025
Earlier in February, Vance addressed the Munich Security Conference with a speech that rankled European leaders.
—Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
Verb
-
While steaming, be sure to hold the steamer nozzle upright so hot water doesn't spill or dribble out.—
Katelyn Squiers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Meanwhile, heat half-and-half, nutmeg, mustard, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt in a small saucepan over medium until steaming, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Crook told police the woman driving the Tesla had bumped his truck when opening her car door, infuriating him.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2025
-
And Democrats bet that Mr. Musk would infuriate their voters more than Mr. Trump’s endorsement would benefit Judge Schimel.—
Reid J. Epstein,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Videos shared on social media seemingly showed views of the fires from inside and outside the garage, as flames several feet tall raged from the SUV and dark smoke billowed out into the sky, visible from the park and surrounding areas.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The result is that deep within Jupiter's atmosphere, there are patches of ammonia that fell as mush balls from storms raging dozens of miles above – and that ammonia will stay buried down there until the next big storm dredges it up.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
As the situation unfolds, Republicans are caught in a delicate balancing act, wary of angering Trump while addressing the growing backlash against his trade policies.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Other nations, angered by the new American tariffs, will impose their own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, reducing the sales of America’s most internationally competitive companies.—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
-
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
-
The university caved to Trump's demands, enraging students and graduates alike.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The Democratic base is enraged, but the party remains staunchly divided on how to respond two months into his second term.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Rosin bags are made from a sap that’s pulled from pine trees in Honduras, then boiled to distill out the turpentine.—
Jason Mastrodonato,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Tour guide Danielle Oteri has navigated dozens of group trips through southern Italy and New York City, and they’re all typically made up of the same archetypes: the planner, the drinker, the one who is quietly boiling with resentment.—
Aditi Shrikant,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Waltz now has a bunch of top officials, and their teams, who are annoyed at him for drawing bad publicity.—
Marc Caputo,
Axios,
25 Mar. 2025
-
However, standing in the middle of a road to capture the Eiffel Tower in the background is not only unsafe but can also annoy locals.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share