riling 1 of 2

adjective

as in annoying
causing annoyance a riling habit that drives his wife crazy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

riling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of rile
1
as in bothering
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts one sure way to rile me is to keep yelling for me

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in angering
to make angry her husband isn't easily riled, but once he is, he stays that way for days

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of riling
Adjective
The only thing more riling than a referee’s interference in a sports event is a politician’s. — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
Verb
The proposal, which is currently out to public consultation, appears to be riling everyone from ordinary pub-goers to residents of 10 Downing Street. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026 Mbappé, who scored on a penalty in the 70th minute, was riling up the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia following France’s 1-0 victory in the Round of 16. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 Sediment in the water is an issue that is riling up both residents and environmentalists. — Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026 McCarty said, riling up the crowd. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026 Isaacman made the comments while endorsing a proposal to halve NASA's science budget, riling some astronomers. — CBS News, 4 May 2026 Some clips showed owls and ravens attacking the couple, especially riling up fans. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026 His players were shown footage of the tackle, calculatedly riling up their ire for next week. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 1 May 2026 Despite losing to Georgia in the conference championship game, DeBoer's Crimson Tide earned one of this year's 12 CFP spots, potentially riling up coaches and fans from other programs who felt their teams got snubbed. — Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riling
  1. annoying
  2. bothering
  3. angering
  4. irritating
  5. bugging
  6. infuriating
  7. frustrating
  8. persecuting
Adjective
  • Edward Hoke is an ingratiating, appropriately annoying and attractive Blaze.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Cloobeck, 64, was arrested in May and charged with three counts of attempting to dissuade a witness from testifying and one count of harassment for making annoying phone calls, according to a criminal complaint.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Once your child starts spilling the beans about what’s bothering them, be understanding.
    — Jenna Autuori-Dedic, Parents, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Hip still bothering Springs Springs lasted just four innings after issuing a season-high five walks, throwing 86 pitches — only 51% of them strikes — and gave up his 28th home run of the season, the most of any pitcher in the league.
    — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothering
Verb
  • Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich faces a fight for political survival in elections in October after angering his fellow West Bank settlers by voting not to punish ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse to serve in the military.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
  • And the thousandth cut came when Raman launched her mayoral campaign without first consulting the local DSA chapter, angering organizers who felt the race stretched their resources too thin.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026
Definition of angering
Adjective
  • Sabalenka double-faulted on match point, her seventh double fault of the day, to put an exclamation point on an irritating evening.
    — Lukas Weese, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Soft, suede-like material is smooth on skin and non-irritating.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • However, in-flight cabin etiquette is only one part of what’s bugging travelers this summer.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Definition of bugging
Verb
  • Speaking to them on the phone is infuriating since most of the conversation is about what’s going on with Kaden.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
  • The result can be a more consistent connection, fewer interruptions and less of that infuriating mid-episode quality drop.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of infuriating
Adjective
  • Summary Many professionals discover their most impactful career lessons often come from demanding, even frustrating, bosses.
    — Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Senate Bill 29 directly confronted the most frustrating aspect of Election Day, ballot questions.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of frustrating
Verb
  • Biden weaponized Law Enforcement against his political opponent, while also persecuting many other innocent people.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 11 June 2026
  • Jack Hayford, the founder of the King’s University, in Texas, claimed that the film was persecuting Christians, who only wanted to be treated equally.
    — Isaac Butler, New Yorker, 30 May 2026
Definition of persecuting

Browse Nearby Words

riley
riling
rill
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Cite this Entry

“Riling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riling. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of riling for Spanish Speakers

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