rankle
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
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.
That is rankling the banking industry, which sees the new players as potential rivals that aren’t subject to the same level of regulatory oversight.
I rankled, just as I did when I saw it in the pictures.
From Literature
What really rankles Hedda, though, is that Lovborg and Thea have created something sublime while she has sought refuge with a scholastic mediocrity.
From Los Angeles Times
King was Jackson’s mentor, but this act rankled the civil rights leader’s more senior allies, who viewed it as rank self-promotion.
From Salon
He’s also felt the pain of insurance-price hikes that have rankled many Americans.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
