rankling 1 of 2

adjective

as in irritating
causing annoyance for some air travelers, the most rankling aspect of the security measures seems to be the restrictions regarding carry-on baggage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rankling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of rankle
1
as in raging
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle

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2
as in angering
to make angry it rankles me when some schools can't even afford paper and pencils for the students

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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 rankling
Verb
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 The actress, producer and book club founder took to social media to speak out about leaning in to artificial intelligence, rankling some of her followers in the process. — Anika Reed, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026 But Johnson recalled how in 2024 Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed undocumented people to work at public universities, rankling activists. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 15 Feb. 2026 But when Russia invaded Ukraine, South Africa repeatedly abstained from United Nations votes on the war—rankling officials in Washington. — Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2025 Matthew quickly schemes his way into Oliver’s orbit after that first performance, impressing and rankling the group of lackeys in his entourage at the same time. — Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rankling
  1. irritating
  2. raging
  3. angering
  4. annoying
  5. steaming
  6. infuriating
  7. frustrating
  8. burning
Adjective
  • His irritating habit of starting each meeting with the ping of a bell reinforces his personality.
    — Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The larger battery gives it the sort of range that makes an EV genuinely useful for long-distance driving, while the interior avoids some of the irritating touchscreen-heavy trends found elsewhere.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • The response to Congo’s raging Ebola epidemic has been hampered by a severe lack of funding and pervasive misinformation, according to people on the front lines.
    — Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Overnight, raging flames cotinued moving through Palo Pinto County, turning the night sky orange and filling the area with smoke as the Ross Fire grew.
    — Marissa Armas, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of raging
Verb
  • However, Gemini halted withdrawals from its Earn program in November 2022, angering some of its more than 300,000 users.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Newsom also wants to reduce payments that fire victims can receive for non-economic damages including pain and suffering, angering victims of the Eaton fire.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of angering
Adjective
  • Adults’s Gen-Z characters tend to see their comforts as transient, their identities as mutable, and seriousness as an annoying obligation, all of which the second season pokes at a bit.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Fluctuating estrogen levels can disrupt the nerves responsible for your sense of scent, leading to this symptom that’s equally bizarre and annoying.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Their sound was described as a hybrid mixing elements of rock, blues and funk into a steaming-hot Houston stew.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Brighter landscape shots with more complicated colors, however, like a steaming blue hot spring surrounded by yellow-red sand and green trees, don’t look nearly as vibrant as the lush greens and blues of the Planet Earth II footage.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of steaming
Verb
  • But maybe that low point and the unexpected departure of Stokes and the return of Joe Root as Test captain ahead of the white-ball skipper has proved a turning point for one of the most gifted but infuriating batters of his generation.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • There are a variety of reasons for this — from reasonable to infuriating — why those who paid higher prices won’t be getting refunds.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of infuriating
Adjective
  • At this point in the draft, every RB has questions, but volume remains king, and Harvey could be in a frustrating battle for touches all season.
    — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Bohm’s Phillies career has been sometimes frustrating, sometimes exciting, sometimes perplexing.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of frustrating
Verb
  • The Ross Fire burning west of Fort Worth in Palo Pinto County appears to be holding steady at around 85,000 acres and 26% containment Friday, according to Texas A&M Forest Service officials.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Planet-heating emissions from burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are the primary driver of climate change.
    — Ava Berger, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of burning

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Cite this Entry

“Rankling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rankling. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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