rankle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rankles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rankled,
past participle, past
-
rankling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
rankles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rankled,
past participle, past
-
rankling
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ranklesimple
-
ranklessimple
-
have rankledperfect
-
has rankledperfect
-
am ranklingprogressive
-
are ranklingprogressive
-
is ranklingprogressive
-
have been ranklingperfect progressive
-
has been ranklingperfect progressive
Past
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rankledsimple
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had rankledperfect
-
was ranklingprogressive
-
were ranklingprogressive
-
had been ranklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
Rankle is a cranky-sounding verb that means to eat away at or aggravate to the point of causing anger. If you want to rankle a cat, try splashing it with water and then putting it in the bathtub. Rankle goes back to the French verb rancler, which comes from an old word for "festering sore," which paints a pretty negative picture of what it means to rankle. A sore that festers gets worse and worse, or more infected, and if you rankle someone, they will get more and more angry. "Ankle" rhymes with rankle, and if you were to prank a friend and hold him by his ankles over a trash can every day for a week, it would definitely rankle him.
Vocabulary lists containing rankle
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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:
The defeat and the nature of it will rankle, especially because she was considered a serious challenger for the title.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
But the lack of progress on the issue has started to rankle the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union for officers below the rank of lieutenant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
Maher’s long-running show is a reliable buzz-generator, often for reasons that rankle progressives.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2024
Even the most powerful state can push things too far and rankle too many rivals.
From Slate ● Jan. 16, 2024
This time “the stare” began to rankle him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Such talk rankles some members of the positive camp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
They eventually went out 4-2 on aggregate following a decision that still rankles today.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
It still rankles, apparently: At that “legal forum” in May 2025 in St. Petersburg, Konstantin Chuychenko, the Russian minister of justice held forth on the subject.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Collinsworth has successfully walked that line of being candid yet not crass, to always speak his mind even though his opinions often rankles fans of all 32 teams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
It will be unnecessary for me to say that, as no blind hate against the Catholic Church exists in me, so also no petty spite against its priests rankles in my heart.
From The Prose Writings of Heinrich Heine by Heinrich Heine
But he didn’t get direct access to President John F. Kennedy—an absurd demand, of course—and this rankled with him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
What really rankled, they said, was that there had been no consultation about placing migrants at the base – or in the town.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Closing arguments centered heavily on Altman's integrity and behind-the-scenes maneuvering that rankled colleagues.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
ROME—Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met Italian leaders here on Friday, offered allies rankled by President Trump words of both support and warning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
It might have happened thousands of years ago, but clearly the encounter still rankled.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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
The legal news website SCOTUSblog has also begun using interim docket as its default nomenclature, rankling some commentators who accused the site of adopting a term that plays down the real-world repercussions of interim orders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
But officials from the F.B.I. and Justice Department pushed back this month on specific proposals during their first public appearance on Capitol Hill to discuss the matter, rankling lawmakers.
From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2023
It did not include any of the three conferences that would balk in meetings the following winter, and it released its ideas publicly, perhaps rankling some others.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 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
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