rankled 1 of 2

as in angered
feeling or showing anger our supervisor was rankled by all the unexpected delays and problems we ran into

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rankled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rankle

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 rankled
Verb
One part of Harris’ platform particularly rankled Sasse. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024 This has rankled many in America’s spy community. Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Nov. 2024 The new labor movement has clearly rankled prominent tech figures, Musk among them. Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 15 Oct. 2024 Those comments rankled Swayman’s agent Lewis Gross, who posted a response to Neely on social media. Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankled
Verb
  • Madrid were angered by a decision in that game to award Espanyol defender Carlos Romero a yellow card for a 60th-minute challenge on Kylian Mbappe, which was not upgraded to a red card by VAR.
    Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
  • That meeting angered Israeli officials, and reportedly Dermer in particular.
    Alex Marquardt, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • During a House Democratic caucus meeting, Jeffries presided over what sources described as an energetic caucus in which Democrats raged over being cut out of negotiations on the bill.
    Andrew Solender, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
  • This, as war raged in Europe, with Putin’s brutal campaign against Ukraine.
    Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The sketch opened with Mikey Day as Jesus, recreating the scene from the Bible in which Christ visits the temple and gets enraged at seeing money changers transacting business within its walls.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2025
  • While there, Jesus visited the temple and enraged upon seeing money changers transacting business within its sacred walls, expelled them all.
    McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Late in the second half, with Arminia three goals down, the travelling fans were so angry that Fabian Klos, the club legend from whom Corboz inherited the captaincy, had to persuade them not to invade the pitch.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • Parents and students said a substitute teacher chased, choked and hit a student after becoming angry in a fourth grade classroom at Meadowview.
    Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • Not seeing his name on the list should have annoyed him.
    Stuart James, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
  • While typically a crowd at a concert might have been annoyed that the performer stopped the show to have a chat with a fan, the audience couldn’t have been more supportive and receptive.
    Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The reaction from agency and network veterans was swift and indignant.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 7 May 2025
  • After a year of intense efforts, we are baffled and indignant.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 9 May 2025
Verb
  • Richard Arnold, the chief executive whose departure had already been announced, went round the room and shook everyone’s hand, expressing his belief the future at United would be bright.
    Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024
  • The camera then cut to Johansson, who shook her head while grimacing.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • And Just Like That is almost upon us—and with it, another series full of increasingly maximal, mad fashion choices.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 May 2025
  • The tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter and an undead woman’s journey of self-discovery.
    The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rankled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankled. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

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