rankle

[ rang-kuhl ]

/ ˈræŋ kəl /

verb (used without object), ran·kled, ran·kling.

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

verb (used with object), ran·kled, ran·kling.

to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment in: His colleague's harsh criticism rankled him for days.

Words nearby rankle

rankine cycle, rankine scale, ranking, ranking member, rankism, rankle, rankshift, ransack, ransom, ransome, ransomware

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; see dragon, carbuncle

SYNONYMS FOR rankle

1, 2 irritate, gall, chafe.

OTHER WORDS FROM rankle

ran·kling·ly, adverbun·ran·kled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for rankled

The cynics among us will be rankled at the description of a book as “inspiring,” but Massie is the genuine article.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 23, 2012|Nicholas Mancusi, Malcolm Jones, Lucas Wittmann|May 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
If it rankled, it was because it forced the audience to take a long look at their own imperfections, their own broken families.
The Big Bang of Reality TV|Jace Lacob|April 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Her dogged willingness to keep the case in the spotlight has rankled authorities—which has only strengthened her resolve.
A Mommy Blogger Seeks Justice for Her Son|K. Emily Bond|March 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The promise so rankled the Taliban they issued a statement insisting that Pakistan should reject all foreign aid.
Terrorists Exploit a Disaster|Ria Misra|August 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The family, and Jeb Bush in particular, manages to reconcile many of the tensions and contradictions that have rankled the party.
Bush-Cheney 2012?|Reihan Salam|May 19, 2009|DAILY BEAST
But, nevertheless, it was probably his other sin that rankled deepest in her mind.
The Bertrams|Anthony Trollope
He bit his lip and passed on alone, but it rankled within him that she had so easily believed ill of him.
The Uncalled|Paul Laurence Dunbar
Yet, in her presence, the resentment which rankled in him softened to pity.
The Late Tenant|Louis Tracy
It rankled in his mind that Julie had never been frank with him, freely as he had poured his affection at her feet.
Lady Rose's Daughter|Mrs. Humphry Ward
Lady St. Craye let herself go completely in a phrase whose memory stung and rankled for many a long day.
The Incomplete Amorist|E. Nesbit

British Dictionary definitions for rankled

rankle

/ (ˈræŋkəl) /

verb

(intr) to cause severe and continuous irritation, anger, or bitterness; festerhis failure to win still rankles

Word Origin for rankle

C14 ranclen, from Old French draoncler to fester, from draoncle ulcer, from Latin dracunculus small serpent, from dracō serpent; see dragon

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

rankle

verb (used without object), ran·kled, ran·kling.

verb (used with object), ran·kled, ran·kling.

Words related to rankle

Words nearby rankle

Origin of rankle

SYNONYMS FOR rankle

OTHER WORDS FROM rankle

Examples from the Web for rankled

British Dictionary definitions for rankled

verb

Word Origin for rankle