1
as in angry
feeling or showing anger some visibly riley people were lined up in the customer service department

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2
as in muddy
having visible particles in liquid suspension take care not to stir up the bottom of the stream when you fill the dipper, or your water will be riley

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riley
Adjective
  • Late in the second half, with Arminia three goals down, the travelling fans were so angry that Fabian Klos, the club legend from whom Corboz inherited the captaincy, had to persuade them not to invade the pitch.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 22 May 2025
  • Parents and students said a substitute teacher chased, choked and hit a student after becoming angry in a fourth grade classroom at Meadowview.
    Samantha Moilanen, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • So Far The game’s two trailers poke fun at many Florida-isms with insane characters like the dual hammer-wielding woman, a sunburned man watering his lawn in a speedo, and spring breakers and locals partying heavily by posh pools and muddy monster truck rallies.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2025
  • The ports had to invent themselves in the first place, out of muddy marshes and shallows, to become the present-day enterprises doing billions of dollars of business and compete and partner with the massive Asian container ports across the Pacific.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • And Just Like That is almost upon us—and with it, another series full of increasingly maximal, mad fashion choices.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 May 2025
  • Meanwhile, a couple of other aliens are dispatched to bring him back: his mad scientist inventor Jumba (Zach Galifianakis) and Earth-loving oddball Pleakley (Billy Magnussen).
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • Police said ballistic evidence was recovered at the scene, but no arrests have been made.
    Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
  • Shell casings were recovered at the Greenwood Street scene and ballistic evidence from the van.
    Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • The reaction from agency and network veterans was swift and indignant.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 7 May 2025
  • After a year of intense efforts, we are baffled and indignant.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • New York trailed by 13 with 5:38 left in the game and tried to continue the series’ streak of someone — Knicks or Pacers — making a furious fourth quarter comeback.
    Joe Vardon, New York Times, 27 May 2025
  • Connecticut has funneled $12.5 billion in surpluses since 2017 to build reserves and scale back pension debt, a furious pace that far outstrips any similar effort in modern history.
    Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Riley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riley. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

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