rankle
verb (used without object)
(of unpleasant feelings, experiences, etc.) to continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind; fester; be painful.
has rankled
-
present perfectof rankle (3rd person singular).present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Overturning Balogun’s red card has rankled even some American soccer fans, who see the intervention as tainting a U.S. run that had been gathering momentum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The insularity of the “60 Minutes” operation — which has its own suite of offices across the street from the main headquarters of CBS News — has rankled the network’s executives in the past.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has rankled Musk and other Silicon Valley insiders with his public warnings about the dangers of AI.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
The decision to not air the documentary until December has rankled Morris, who had already made the rounds on the network to promote his work.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2024
I am afraid it has rankled in your mind that I once warned you against him.
From Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondeley
