rankles

verb

present tense third-person singular of rankle
1
as in steams
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 angers
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 rankles Even as the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz rankles supply chains, the UAE is still pitching itself as a trade gateway connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe. — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026 The brief war and status of the islands still rankles many Argentinians, and political leaders there are frequently pressured to take up the cause. — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026 Sure, the upcoming move from Missouri to Kansas still rankles fans. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026 The fact that Carruth has been a free man since 2018 still rankles some who were involved in the case. — Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026 The 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in Lisbon still rankles. — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 21 May 2026 That such a talented businessman seems to have so little faith in the point of his product certainly rankles this consumer. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 That is something that rankles Stammen, among others. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026 The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankles
  1. steams
  2. angers
  3. rages
  4. infuriates
  5. boils
  6. enrages
  7. burns
  8. annoys
Verb
  • As America steams headlong into November, working-class folks are still at loggerheads with its political class.
    — Jim Beaugez, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In a crockery pot, my father steams cauliflower, stirring it round and round.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of steams
Verb
  • Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party champion Taiwan’s separate identity from China, a position that frequently angers Beijing, which views the island as Chinese territory.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The receptionist angers Kripke and Bert so much that they are picked up by the police — along with Stuart, who had also been arrested.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of angers
Verb
  • While that debate rages on, what is clear is Meta's own lab, which is now very much pumping out frontier-level models , isn't being valued anywhere near the levels of Anthropic and OpenAI.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • And as the war rages on some four years later, SpaceX’s terminals are once again making headlines.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rages
Verb
  • The fact that the district has adopted a neurodiversity policy but also proclaims ABA will remain in place infuriates Pirilä.
    — Beth Hawkins, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Georgia Supreme Court challenger Jen Jordan infuriates Republicans with a new fundraising email.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 15 May 2026
Definition of infuriates
Verb
  • If the water gets too hot, well, the poor little froggy boils to death.
    — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The second a Verizon worker mentions adding a screen protector, my blood boils.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of boils
Verb
  • The ghostly character doesn't have a particularly significant role in the story, but is a constant nuisance in the tapestry of Hogwarts with antics that include throwing things, making messes, pulling pranks, and generally causing mischief that enrages caretaker Argus Filch.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
  • This is exactly the kind of mainstream Christian view that enrages Allie Beth Stuckey.
    — Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of enrages
Verb
  • The report authors also looked at how climate change could play out differently if the world burns more or fewer fossil fuels and puts in place stronger or weaker policies.
    — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Decades later, the fire lit by his first steed, a brown Schwinn Mag Scrambler, still burns bright.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of burns
Verb
  • What annoys me is that this whole thing is called Roaring 20th, so why was there not a flapper and Great Gatsby theme?
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • That very same thing is what annoys Liz about Charles 500 years later.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoys

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Cite this Entry

“Rankles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankles. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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