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.
were rankling
-
past progressiveof rankle.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
But there had been wrong also on the other side, hasty words spoken—words which rankled, and were rankling still, after the lapse of years.
From Ester Ried by Pansy
Her heart ached for him, though she had no notion of the bitterness, the rebellion, that were rankling in his.
From The Dreamer A Romantic Rendering of the Life-Story of Edgar Allan Poe by Mary Newton Stanard
These were the bitter thoughts which were rankling in the breast of every loyal British man during the remainder of that night of horrible suspense.
From The World Peril of 1910 by George Chetwynd Griffith
Otherwise, he would know his words were rankling.
From Jewel by Clara Louise Burnham
These ideas were rankling in every man's mind when the Parliament met, and it is with the utmost difficulty that we have been able to remove them.
From Memoirs of the Court and Cabinets of George the Third From the Original Family Documents, Volume 2 by Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Plantagenet Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos Grenville, Duke of
