Dictionary.com
definitions

rankle

[ rang-kuhl ]
/ ˈræŋ kəl /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rankle ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED CONTENT

Word Lookups From Obama’s Farewell SpeechPresident Barack Obama’s second and final term is at an end. He gave his farewell speech Tuesday January 10 in Chicago, the city that launched his rise to national prominence. Word choices and speech patterns of our world leaders are a constant source of discussion (and comedy skits), as every administration has a style and at least one tic. Long known as an effective public …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

upsetting, disturbing, annoying, irritating, galling, painful

Nearby words

  1. rankine scale,
  2. rankine, william john macquorn,
  3. ranking,
  4. ranking member,
  5. rankism,
  6. rankly,
  7. rankshift,
  8. ransack,
  9. ransom,
  10. ransom, john crowe

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
Related formsran·kling·ly, adverbun·ran·kled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rankling

British Dictionary definitions for rankling

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

Word Origin and History for rankling

rankle

v.

c.1300, "to fester," from Old French rancler, earlier raoncler, draoncler "to suppurate, run," from draoncle "abscess, festering sore," from Medieval Latin dracunculus, literally "little dragon," diminutive of Latin draco "serpent, dragon" (see dragon). The notion is of an ulcer caused by a snake's bite. Meaning "cause to fester" is from c.1400. Related: Rankled; rankling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper