1
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
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2
as in to infuriate
to make angry
it rankles me when some schools can't even afford paper and pencils for the students
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rankle
He was rankled by Miami being behind the Irish.
—
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Dec. 2025
But that, of course, rankled the building's neighbors, as did the lights filling the sky each night.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Dec. 2025
As with all circuits, driver safety is going to be the priority, even if that does mean extra track works that could rankle some locals.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2025
Even as the White House’s proposal remains in flux, the notion of extending any part of President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement is likely to rankle conservatives who have sought to repeal and replace the law for well over a decade.
—Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rankle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankle
Verb
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Place the bowl inside the microwave and heat on high for around three to four minutes, or until the solution is visibly steaming.—
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One ship was seized Friday in the Caribbean, and others were spotted steaming hundreds of miles into the Atlantic.—
Verb
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The development appears to have infuriated the center’s interim president, MAGA loyalist Richard Grenell.—
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Trump’s blunt warnings have infuriated the country’s leaders, who have since doubled down on crushing the protests.—
Verb
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When the sun goes down, three beams of light will illuminate the sky over the town that was, piercing the darkness that this time last year was lit with the unholy glow of a fire raging, with no end in sight.—
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That winter, the concrete spillway collapsed in one section during massive storms, prompting the evacuation of 188,000 people as water raged uncontrolled into the river below, and concerns grew that part of the dam might fail.—
Verb
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With an economy that is persistently reliant on crude, pursuing policies that raise energy costs risks angering constituents.—
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The board instead approved a resolution to reexamine current campus spaces, angering some parents.—
Verb
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Walk out of a play’s shadows back into the clear light of day without a there to take with you, and even a burning cauldron will become little more than a brief candle.—
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Veg/cm/61 Fire has been burning on private land.—
Verb
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Starting over with a new coach or general manager right now takes contender off the table, and judging by the support thrown behind the head coach, would enrage Burrow in the process.—
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Jensen’s father, David Jensen, was enraged by McIntyre’s not guilty plea.—
Verb
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Its carbon steel boils water quickly, while retaining heat.—
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Distilled water is water that has been boiled, causing the water molecules to return to a gaseous state and then condense back into liquid.—
Verb
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She’d been awakened by their puppy, and had been annoyed at Ryan, who hadn’t gotten up early with the dog like he was supposed to.—
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Kelce was evaluated for a concussion in the locker room, and he was annoyed at having to answer the questions that are part of the test.—
Cite this Entry
“Rankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankle. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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