as in acrimonious
having or showing deep-seated resentment
a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him
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Recent Examples of rancorous
No rancorous divorces or business disputes, restraining orders or recent financial trouble — nothing connecting him to the two men accused of his murder.
—
Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
As Williams exited, a rancorous round of boos accompanied the two-time National League Reliever of the Year’s walk to the dugout.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
After closing the doors of its consulate general in St. Petersburg in 2018, amid rancorous relations with the Kremlin, and without any new openings in recent years, Washington reduced its total posts to 273.
—Bonnie Bley, Foreign Affairs, 27 Nov. 2019
State of play: O'Connell enjoys wide public approval that elected officials at any level rarely find in this rancorous political environment.
—Nate Rau, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rancorous
Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
As Williams exited, a rancorous round of boos accompanied the two-time National League Reliever of the Year’s walk to the dugout.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
After closing the doors of its consulate general in St. Petersburg in 2018, amid rancorous relations with the Kremlin, and without any new openings in recent years, Washington reduced its total posts to 273.
—Bonnie Bley, Foreign Affairs, 27 Nov. 2019
State of play: O'Connell enjoys wide public approval that elected officials at any level rarely find in this rancorous political environment.
—Nate Rau, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rancorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rancorous
Adjective
-
There’s the Crying Nudes, who are directly involved with Dean Blunt, spawning on his World Music label soon after bar italia’s acrimonious departure.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
9 July 2025
-
Once a senior advisor to Trump, Musk has had an acrimonious falling out with the president due to his staunch opposition to the tax and spending legislation.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Most of the time, Superman is depressed or angry or getting beat to a pulp or having cans thrown at him or getting arrested.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
Others were frustrated—some even outright angry—that the Commission fell short of declaring all forms of obesity a disease and instead recommended a more nuanced clinical diagnosis.—
Francesco Rubino,
Time,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Richardson, who was dealing with a sore right ankle during summer league practices in Orlando, exited early in the third quarter, but was able to return in the final frame.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 July 2025
-
Chisholm missed five weeks toward the beginning of the season with a right oblique strain, then sat out of Sunday’s Subway Series finale at Citi Field for a sore right shoulder.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
There were no bitter comments blaming liberal forest-management policies.—
Nick Allardice,
Time,
10 July 2025
-
Public records show the home belongs to former Councilman Bill Sanders, who ran for mayor and lost last year after a years-long history of bitter clashes with other city officials and staff.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Created by cartoonist Jim Davis, the Garfield comic strip debuted in June 1978 and follows the cynical and lazy orange cat and his interactions with his owner, Jon Arbuckle, and fellow pet Odie, the lovable dog.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
8 July 2025
-
There is a certain business logic to that; from a cynical perspective, if a £10million investment fails to live up to expectations, the financial downside for the buying club is relatively small — and in many cases, he will be sold to somewhere lower down the sport’s food chain.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Amber Tamblyn starred as Tibby, who, with her green-streaked hair and resentful attitude, is among the more rebellious girls in the sisterhood.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 June 2025
-
Set in the not-very-distant future, cancer has been cured, meaning people are living well past 100, but still retiring around 65 or so, and their demands for the social safety net destroys the economy, leaving a frightfully resentful younger generation with the burden.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
Wearing a mask to filter out the acrid tang of sulfates and carbon soot, Wu uses his phone’s camera to capture the license plates and company markings on the buses, then a nearby address, then the school’s façade.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Curbed,
3 Sep. 2024
-
As a sanitation worker in New York City for almost two decades, Mr. Martin is well accustomed to tossing bags of acrid, leaky garbage from the curb into the back of a truck.—
Emma G. Fitzsimmons,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rancorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rancorous. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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