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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
McNeil still leads the team in this metric, with Doucoure ranking eighth, behind full-backs Young and Vitalii Mykolenko. Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025 Both were founding members of The Supremes, which music producer Berry Gordy ranked as his most successful Motown act of the 1960s and best-charting female group in U.S. chart history. Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
Hezbollah’s leadership appeared to have no sense of how deeply Israeli intelligence had penetrated its ranks, booby-trapping the group’s pagers and walkie-talkies and picking off its senior commanders, culminating in the assassination of its secretary-general of 32 years, Hassan Nasrallah. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025 Finney-Smith’s defensive rating of 105.0 ranks first on the Lakers among players who’ve appeared in at least 20 games. C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 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
  • If there are issues or delays in receiving aid, students should be persistent in following up to ensure that their applications are processed correctly.
    Scott White, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
  • During the same two-day period, there were also 10-figure declines in the net worths of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (-$5.83 billion), LVMH owner Bernard Arnault (-$5.3 billion) Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai (-$1.7 billion), and SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner (-$1.5 billion).
    Karen K. Ho for ARTnews, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In order to be classified as gin, the spirit’s most prominent flavor must be piney, cool juniper.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2025
  • He’s produced a number of hip-hop tunes, and Billboard often classifies his work as rap.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Downs said the one-on-one interviews were purely informational, and no ranking of candidates occurred in secret.
    Skyler Swisher, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The annual rankings were based primarily on survey responses from more than 217,000 employees working at companies within the U.S. that employ more than 1,000 people.
    Rachel Rabkin Peachman, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • International Women's Day is a time to recognize the achievements of women and girls everywhere and recommit our efforts to advance dignity, opportunity, and equality for all.
    Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Despite the fact that Baltimore has long battled high crime rates and public safety concerns, ours is a beautiful city full of promise and good people of dignity and integrity.
    Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Michigan State, the conference’s regular-season champs, had won eight in a row.
    Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Last year there were more than 34,000 fair-housing complaints of all kinds, a record high for the third year in a row.
    Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • And for anyone who didn't fit in that category, Thursday's performance was a stirring reminder of just how rich and singular the band's catalog really is.
    Piet Levy, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Working with co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, sources say he will be focused on the menswear category.
    Luisa Zargani, WWD, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Child labor and street crime were rampant, with some youngsters turning to theft for sustenance.
    Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
  • While speculation has been rampant that his wife Casey will attempt to keep the governor's mansion in the family, no official announcement has been made concerning her potential candidacy.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 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

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Cite this Entry

“Rank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

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