RANKLE Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

rankle

verb

ˈraŋ-kəl

Definition of rankle

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

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 While this might rankle a certain type of science fiction reader who expects rigorous world building and a straightforward plot, Unferth’s playfulness injects new life into some trusty old tropes that have calcified into clichés. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 The hiring and firing rules would take power away from mayors, an apparent concession by Johnson that comes after Gatewood’s sudden firing surprised and rankled some anti-violence leaders. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 The Herald has learned Council President Liz Breadon visited councilors individually during the recess to ask them to push off the budget vote, rankling Weber, who had recommended a favorable vote take place at the day’s session. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026 Armenia also played host to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a move that further rankled the Kremlin, especially because Pashinyan and Zelensky held talks in English, rather than in Russian, the old Soviet lingua franca. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for rankle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle

Verb

Marylanders settled back for a steaming celebration of America’s 194th birthday today.

— Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2026
The French capital is in the midst of a heat wave — the day of the show was the city’s hottest ever June day, until Wednesday eclipsed it — and the model’s toes steamed inside the oblong footwear.

— Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

Definition of steam

Verb

They’re infuriated with a military that turned out to repress civilian protests in recent years, but appeared slow to mobilize in support of earthquake victims this week.

— Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2026
The result can be a more consistent connection, fewer interruptions and less of that infuriating mid-episode quality drop.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of infuriate

Verb

The possible flare of Marburg in Uganda will only add to the challenges of responding to the overwhelming Ebola outbreak raging in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Still, if someone argued otherwise, Smith and his ilk would rage in fury.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of rage

Verb

According to Smith, citizens of East Florida even burned the leaders behind the Declaration of Independence in effigy.

— Hank Tester, CBS News, 1 July 2026
For decades, oceans have acted as the planet’s main heat sink, absorbing 90% of the excess heat produced by humans burning fossil fuels.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

Definition of burn

Verb

Despite his concessions to the SSPX, Francis enraged many Catholic traditionalists by reversing Benedict's relaxation on celebrating the old Latin Mass for the broader Catholic Church.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
The story enraged campus and district officials and played a role in Stapleton’s ousting, despite a later retraction.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026

Definition of enrage

Verb

Officials are advising anyone who experienced a water outage or low water pressure in the affected area to boil tap water before using it for drinking, cooking, preparing baby food or brushing their teeth.

— CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 1 July 2026
If the chart recommends precooking the veggies for grilling, bring a small amount of water to boiling in a saucepan.

— Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 June 2026

Definition of boil

Verb

Paraguay’s tactics, seeking to frustrate and disrupt France, had annoyed Henry as well as the current team and coach.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Others are annoyed that its ambiguous language will create confusion over how — or if — the state will enforce compliance.

— Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2026

Definition of annoy

Browse Nearby Words

rankings

rankle

rankled

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of rankle

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on rankle

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes