Meaning & use
rankling
Last updated
Causing persistent irritation, resentment, or bitterness.
See it in a sentence
The insult kept rankling him for weeks after the meeting.
A sense of unfairness had been rankling among the staff for months.
A note on using this word
Traces back to a word for a festering sore; the modern sense retains the image of a wound that continues to fester emotionally.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
soothing
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