Synonyms

rankle

American

[rang-kuhl] / ˈræŋ kəl /

verb (used without object)

rankled, rankling

(of unpleasant feelings, experiences, etc.) to continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind; fester; be painful.

Synonyms:

chafe , gall , irritate

verb (used with object)

rankled, rankling

to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in.

His colleague's harsh criticism rankled him for days.

Synonyms:

chafe , gall , irritate

rankle British

/ ˈræŋkəl /

verb

(intr) to cause severe and continuous irritation, anger, or bitterness; fester

his failure to win still rankles

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

ranklingly adverb
unrankled adjective

Etymology

Origin of rankle

1250–1300; Middle English ranclen < Middle French rancler, Old French raoncler, variant of draoncler to fester, derivative of draoncle a sore < Late Latin dracunculus small serpent, diminutive of Latin dracō serpent; dragon, carbuncle

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was the public support and undeserved prestige that rankled.

From The Wall Street Journal

Collinsworth has successfully walked that line of being candid yet not crass, to always speak his mind even though his opinions often rankles fans of all 32 teams.

From Los Angeles Times

His campaign pledges to raise taxes on corporations and the city’s wealthiest while freezing rents on apartments have rankled Wall Street and real-estate executives.

From The Wall Street Journal

His subsequent booking for next year's Super Bowl rankled some US conservatives.

From BBC

That voter rebuke rankled Mr. Erdoğan, who rose to political prominence in that same Istanbul office.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023