as in angered
feeling or showing anger
our supervisor was rankled by all the unexpected delays and problems we ran into
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in raged
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in infuriated
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
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Recent Examples of rankled
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
24 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
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
Read more here about how Trump's non-endorsement of Cornyn, in favor of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, rankled GOP lawmakers.
—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
The Sound Dues rankled the maritime powers of the day, but Denmark could easily enforce them thanks to the narrowness of the Øresund Strait, which is less than 3 miles wide at Helsingør.
—
Vivek Krishnamurthy,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Two postseasons ago, Joel Embiid rankled Knicks fans during a hyper-testy first-round series in which the Philadelphia 76ers star engaged in multiple controversial plays — none bigger than him pulling Mitchell Robinson to the ground.
—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
The actions have rankled some MAHA enthusiasts who counted on the administration to tackle chronic disease, especially among children.
—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Coming several years after the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) and its sweeping modernizations, the encyclical rankled many Catholics who had hoped for a more liberal policy on birth control.
—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
New York manager Aaron Boone was rankled.
—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
24 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
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
Read more here about how Trump's non-endorsement of Cornyn, in favor of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, rankled GOP lawmakers.
—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
The Sound Dues rankled the maritime powers of the day, but Denmark could easily enforce them thanks to the narrowness of the Øresund Strait, which is less than 3 miles wide at Helsingør.
—
Vivek Krishnamurthy,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
Two postseasons ago, Joel Embiid rankled Knicks fans during a hyper-testy first-round series in which the Philadelphia 76ers star engaged in multiple controversial plays — none bigger than him pulling Mitchell Robinson to the ground.
—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
The actions have rankled some MAHA enthusiasts who counted on the administration to tackle chronic disease, especially among children.
—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Coming several years after the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) and its sweeping modernizations, the encyclical rankled many Catholics who had hoped for a more liberal policy on birth control.
—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankled
Adjective
-
Police said the two male juveniles became angered when the other three would not take them to buy marijuana.
-
Soon, the faces of the angered New York City citizens around her soften.
Verb
-
Across the continent, schools closed, concerts were canceled, train lines were suspended and wildfires raged.
-
Cameron came up with the idea during the pandemic, as protests over the murder of George Floyd spread across the country and wildfires raged across Northern California.
Verb
-
When my friends found relief, they were thrilled—and infuriated.
-
By the second half, the two teams meandering about the pitch infuriated everyone not on the pitch.
Adjective
-
Not every close call involves death-defying drop-offs and enraged bison.
-
Rob-Will’s enraged face as Beulah told him what the situation actually is was pretty amazing.
Verb
-
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.
-
But don’t miss the crispy duck and walnut, and matsutake steamed chicken at the equally satisfying but more casual Yunnan specialty restaurant, Horizon.
Verb
-
Others are annoyed that its ambiguous language will create confusion over how — or if — the state will enforce compliance.
-
David goes on a tour of the past 250 years and is deeply annoyed by every facet of it.
Adjective
-
The Commission ultimately left it at 400 feet, prompting an intense reaction from the angry crowd.
-
Some of the women who were angry contacted the SFMOMA not simply to share feedback, but to try to ensure Bahr could never work with the institution again.
Verb
-
When Daemon stormed into his dining room to seize Harrenhal under Rhaenyra’s name, Ser Simon was super polite about the whole thing.
-
The Young Lords, a group of Puerto Rican activists, stormed and occupied the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, New York, for 12 hours.
Cite this Entry
“Rankled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankled. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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