rancorous

adjective

ran·​cor·​ous ˈraŋ-k(ə-)rəs How to pronounce rancorous (audio)
: marked by rancor : deeply malevolent
rancorous envy
rancorously adverb

Examples of rancorous in a Sentence

a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Contrast that with the current perception of American college campuses (and, to an extent, campuses across the wider world) constantly portrayed as rancorous battlegrounds in the culture wars, where dissenting ideas are often collateral damage, as are those promulgating them. Shaun Carver, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024 The recent months of campaigning have been volatile and rancorous, underscoring a changing American narrative in which a white, mostly Christian majority is shrinking in the face of a growing multiracial population. Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024 The conditions were ripe for a takeover, and Richard J. Daley — who had taken control of the Cook County Democratic Party — defeated Kennelly in a rancorous three-way primary in 1955. Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2024 These disputes became more rancorous after Russia’s 2008 war in Georgia and its 2014 annexation of Crimea, with liberal internationalists arguing that these wars revealed Putin to be an imperialist, revisionist leader seeking to reconquer the Soviet empire. Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 6 Sep. 2022 See all Example Sentences for rancorous 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1517, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rancorous was circa 1517

Dictionary Entries Near rancorous

Cite this Entry

“Rancorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rancorous. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.

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