riley
adjective
turbid; roily.
riley
1 American
[rahy-lee]
/ ˈraɪ li /
adjective
Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S.
-
turbid; roily.
-
angry; vexed.
Riley
2
American
[rahy-lee]
/ ˈraɪ li /
Riley
1
British
/ ˈraɪlɪ /
noun
-
Bridget ( Louise ). born 1931, English painter, best known for her black-and-white op art paintings of the 1960s
-
Gina . born 1961, Australian television actress and writer, best known for playing 'Kim' in the comedy series Kath & Kim (2002–07)
Riley
2
British
/ ˈraɪlɪ /
noun
riley
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of riley
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.
See Examples For:
She's always riley when she doesn't get plenty to drink," said Pine, "but she hasn't kicked once in all this.
From Two Arrows A Story of Red and White by Stoddard, William Osborn
Oh! don't you get riley, you and I ran against each other when I came in, but we'll be friends yet.
From Our American Cousin by Taylor, Tom
I'm a real hoss, I am, and I get kinder riley with those critters.
From Our American Cousin by Taylor, Tom
I was trying to swallow a mouthful of the bitter toast and riley coffee, and couldn't in my heart contradict her.
From Phemie Frost's Experiences by Stephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
But everything has its drawbacks, the water there hain't like Jonesville water; I don't say it to twit 'em, but it is a solemn truth, the water is riley, they can't dispute it.
From Samantha at the St. Louis Exposition by Holley, Marietta
B. Riley analyst Mike Crawford summed up the political-military scene in a note to clients on Thursday by referring to “an emerging generational recapitalization of global defense posture and budgets.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Dressed in his green uniform, Kroencke was waiting for a flight back to Fort Riley, in Kansas.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Riley alerted the platform to discussions in OFM Empire that suggested agents were buying and selling creators' contracts without creators knowing.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
On the eve of the financial crisis, John Riley stopped for an oil change and the mechanic told him about his “scary” stock positions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
“An inch is ten miles on this map,” Miss Riley said sardonically.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
