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.
rankling
-
present participleof rankle.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Reporter Ben Glickman details how disagreements over estate planning morphed into a bitter succession drama that is now rankling the board of the company Ford forged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
The military warning—first reported in the Washington Post, then confirmed in the New York Times—must be particularly rankling.
From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026
Those shifts made it harder for many apps to target advertising to users, rankling tech executives including Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
From New York Times ● Nov. 28, 2022
Bobo’s only misstep other than calling In-N-Out “overrated,” rankling fans of the wildly popular burger chain, came in the season opener.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
When he did find some time to visit me, he was very preoccupied, and I could feel him rankling with anger and with inactivity, but he tried hard to hide it.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
