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
The Ohio nonprofit, ranked among the top hospitals in the world, pledged to bring expert care and an infusion of cash to the region north of Boca Raton. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 24 July 2025 The study by personal finance company WalletHub ranked Arizona's school system 48th in the nation. Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 24 July 2025
Noun
His total earnings rank third all-time at $3,612,216. Take the Jeopardy! audition test Potential contestants are invited to audition by taking the show's online test, which can be found here: jeopardy.com/be-on-j/anytime-test. John Tufts, IndyStar, 21 July 2025 But the democracy crowd in NYC has done nothing except bring rank choice voting into a closed party primary system, the only place in the entire country that has been done. John Opdycke, New York Daily News, 21 July 2025
Adjective
Both Heritage and Fraser rank Peru in the top third of the world. Alejandro Antonio Chafuen, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025 Forcing priests to divulge confessions, while exempting all manner of secular confessors, is rank religious discrimination. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 6 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for rank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank
Verb
  • Then there is the signaling problem that arises when the leader of the U.S. government is openly threatening U.S. companies.
    Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Currently, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it is still undetermined.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • More than 71% of the students are emergent bilingual and 17% are classified as immigrants, according to TEA data.
    Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • This year, Jim Bowden classifies 14 clubs as buyers, eight as sellers and eight as on the fence.
    Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 30 July 2025
Noun
  • After several months on the U.K.'s Official Albums chart — the nation's most important ranking of the most consumed full-lengths and EPs — Lady Gaga’s Mayhem quietly disappeared earlier this month.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
  • They would be replaced by 11 sergeants, who are higher ranking but less experienced at teaching cadets.
    Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 29 July 2025
Noun
  • But simple steps can protect your personal information, bank account, and dignity.
    Justin Sablich, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
  • But to the predominantly Black, Mexican American, and Filipino youth wearing them, zoot suits were a declaration of cultural identity, a refusal to conform to white, working-class respectability politics, and a claim to visibility, fun, and dignity in spaces of racialized exclusion.
    Alexandra Jane, Essence, 31 July 2025
Noun
  • The Clue: This Wordle has two vowels and two consonants in a row.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
  • Berra did pretty much everything else, too: three MVP awards, 10 World Series titles, 15 years in a row as an All-Star, the life of a legend.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • But while the brand has offered men’s since the beginning under its Citizens of Humanity label, the category still accounts for only about 5 percent of overall sales.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 14 July 2025
  • For larger categories of individuals being considered to be pardoned, the Times reported, Biden did not approve every single name, but approved what standards would be used to figure out which people would get their sentences adjusted.
    Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Homelessness is still rampant — and the idea of homeownership feels like a cruel joke to the many millions of households in the Golden State with income far higher than the national median of $75,000.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2025
  • With both systems under one leader, speculation is rampant that Broward’s two health districts will merge.
    Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 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 7 Aug. 2025.

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