verb
rankle
Rankle (verb) means to keep causing annoyance or resentment over time.
verb
1
To keep causing annoyance or resentment over time.
"Liam hadn't meant for that last part to slip out. Allie might think it pretty pathetic that he'd remembered that comment from the first night they met, but it had rankled him then and, to some degree, it rankled him now."
— Emily Dalton, A Baby for Lord Roderick (2014)
"What most rankles me about the term is how casually it is being applied to schools—temples of learning—and especially to children."
— John McWhorter, Republicans Want to ‘Harden’ Schools. That’s an Awful Euphemism (2022)
"My colleague's gratuitous criticism still rankles with me."
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like rankle.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Etymology
From Middle English ranklen, ranclen, from Old French rancler, räoncler, draoncler (“to ulcerate, to form a boil”), from Old French draoncle (“a boil”), from Latin dracunculus (“little serpent”), diminutive of Latin dracō (“serpent, dragon”).
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for rankle
See all rhymes for rankle →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of rankle?
"rankle" (verb) means to keep causing annoyance or resentment over time.
What is another word for rankle?
Other words for "rankle" include grate, fret.
What is the opposite of rankle?
Opposites of "rankle" include heal, please.
