rankle
verb
ran·kle ˈraŋ-kəl 
rankled; rankling ˈraŋ-k(ə-)liŋ
intransitive verb
1
: to cause anger, irritation, or deep bitterness
2
: to feel anger and irritation
transitive verb
: to cause irritation or bitterness in
Did you know?
The Connection Between Rankle and Dragon
When rankle was first used in English, it meant "to fester," and that meaning is related to French words referring to a sore and tracing to Latin dracunculus. The Latin is from draco, the word for a serpent and the source of English's dragon. The transition from serpents to sores is apparently from people associating the appearance of certain ulcers or tumors to small serpents.
Synonyms
- boil
- burn
- foam
- fume
- rage
- seethe
- sizzle
- steam
- storm
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The joke about her family rankled her. that kind of rude treatment from a young person makes me rankle
Recent Examples on the Web The moves are generating blowback in Hollywood’s creative community and will probably rankle some subscribers who were watching the shows. 
Stephen Battagliostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2022 Some executives and leadership coaches say the feelings-first management approach can rankle employees who prefer keeping their emotional lives outside the office. Ray A. Smith, WSJ, 10 May 2022 From the minute the trailer dropped, the Austenite gatekeepers were crying sacrilege, and sure, this will rankle lovers of the novel. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2022 Often the scorn only intensifies, while obsequious apologies to Beijing can rankle Western consumers. Elisabeth Braw, WSJ, 24 July 2022 But instead of sending its lawyers to rankle museum directors, Mexico is leading with a social-media campaign designed to persuade buyers that sales of antiquities are unethical. Robert P. Walzer, WSJ, 30 July 2022 As head of global sustainable finance for Fitch Ratings, Andrew Steel is a key arbitrator of this debate, with views likely to rankle both ESG true believers and haters. Laurence Darmientostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2022 Imagine those views … Has to rankle NHL execs that one of the sights most often seen during playoff commercial breaks is winking NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford. Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2022 But that language could rankle Pacific leaders, said Tess Newton Cain, a Pacific analyst at Griffith University in Brisbane. Michael E. Miller, Washington Post, 26 May 2022 See More
Stephen Battagliostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2022 Some executives and leadership coaches say the feelings-first management approach can rankle employees who prefer keeping their emotional lives outside the office. Ray A. Smith, WSJ, 10 May 2022 From the minute the trailer dropped, the Austenite gatekeepers were crying sacrilege, and sure, this will rankle lovers of the novel. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 July 2022 Often the scorn only intensifies, while obsequious apologies to Beijing can rankle Western consumers. Elisabeth Braw, WSJ, 24 July 2022 But instead of sending its lawyers to rankle museum directors, Mexico is leading with a social-media campaign designed to persuade buyers that sales of antiquities are unethical. Robert P. Walzer, WSJ, 30 July 2022 As head of global sustainable finance for Fitch Ratings, Andrew Steel is a key arbitrator of this debate, with views likely to rankle both ESG true believers and haters. Laurence Darmientostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2022 Imagine those views … Has to rankle NHL execs that one of the sights most often seen during playoff commercial breaks is winking NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford. Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2022 But that language could rankle Pacific leaders, said Tess Newton Cain, a Pacific analyst at Griffith University in Brisbane. Michael E. Miller, Washington Post, 26 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English ranclen to fester, from Anglo-French rancler, from Old French draoncler, raoncler, from draoncle, raoncle festering sore, from Medieval Latin dracunculus, from Latin, diminutive of draco serpent — more at dragon
First Known Use
1606, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Kids Definition
rankle
verb
ran·kle ˈraŋ-kəl
rankled; rankling
: to cause anger, irritation, or bitterness
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- irritating
- annoying
- frustrating
- nettling
- disturbing
- riling
- aggravating
- vexing
- galling
- chafing
- carking
- irksome
- nettlesome
- exasperating
- maddening
- vexatious
- bothersome
- pesky
- plaguey
- plaguy
- pestiferous
- pestilential
- painful
- peeving
- abrasive
- pesty
- rebarbative
- pestilent
- biting
- angering
- importunate
- distractive
- importune
- troubling
- displeasing
- infuriating
- enraging
- troublesome
- discomforting
- disquieting
- burdensome
- upsetting
- distressing
- inconveniencing
- mischievous
- tiresome
- offensive
- trying
- stressful
- jangling
- worrisome
- bratty
- jarring
- brattish
- grating
- spiny
- thorny
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- delightful
- pleasing
rankling
2 of 2verb
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- raging
- seething
- steaming
- burning
- boiling
- fuming
- storming
- shaking
- foaming
- agitating
- fulminating
- sizzling
- bristling
- seeing red
- inflaming
- ranting
- enflaming
- raving
- roiling
- stewing
- smoldering
- chafing
- fretting
- smouldering
- convulsing
- flaring (up)
2
as in angering
to make angry it rankles me when some schools can't even afford paper and pencils for the students Synonyms & Similar Words
- angering
- infuriating
- enraging
- outraging
- irritating
- annoying
- riling
- inflaming
- roiling
- incensing
- maddening
- offending
- iring
- madding
- enflaming
- getting
- aggravating
- nettling
- provoking
- vexing
- ticking off
- affronting
- ruffling
- exasperating
- steaming up
- piquing
- embittering
- peeving
- antagonizing
- huffing
- getting one's goat
- crossing
- miffing
- rubbing the wrong way
- putting out
- envenoming
- burning (up)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- gratifying
- relieving
- pleasing
- delighting
- allaying
- soothing
- comforting
- consoling
- assuaging
- appeasing
- placating
- conciliating
- settling
- quieting
- pacifying
- mollifying
- calming
- charming
- disarming
- captivating
- bewitching
- lulling
- enchanting
- beguiling