riley

¹ American  

[rahy-lee] / ˈraɪ li /

adjective

Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S.

1. turbid; roily.

2. angry; vexed.

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Riley ² American  

[rahy-lee] / ˈraɪ li /

noun

1. James Whitcomb 1849–1916, U.S. poet.

2. life of. life of Riley.

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Riley ¹ British  

/ ˈraɪlɪ /

noun

1. Bridget ( Louise ). born 1931, English painter, best known for her black-and-white op art paintings of the 1960s

2. Gina . born 1961, Australian television actress and writer, best known for playing 'Kim' in the comedy series Kath & Kim (2002–07)

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Riley ² British  

/ ˈraɪlɪ /

noun

1. a luxurious and carefree existence

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riley Idioms  

1. see life of riley.

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Etymology

Origin of riley

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; rile + -y ¹

Example Sentences

“In the abstract, could it work? Sure,” Robert Riley, a former U.S. ambassador to Micronesia, said of a free association agreement with Greenland.

From The Wall Street Journal

Davis Riley birdied four of his last seven holes on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the US PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii.

From Barron's

"I felt like I was hitting some really good hold shots against the wind," said Riley, who has one previous win on the PGA Tour, after gusty conditions at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

From Barron's

The 29-year-old Riley said the goal for Sunday would be to "do what I did on the back nine today".

From Barron's

“A savvy developer with good counsel is starting to combine all of these new laws and use them as a tool kit to do things that were never possible before,” said Bay Area land-use attorney Riley Hurd, who isn’t involved in the Safeway development.

From The Wall Street Journal