as in angry
feeling or showing anger
the woman was obviously riled, as she kept throwing things
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in annoyed
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in infuriated
to make angry
her husband isn't easily riled, but once he is, he stays that way for days
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 riled
Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Reddit Reacts Many users have been riled up by the situation and have sided with the mom.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
Zach Bryan stopped a concert Saturday night after a fan riled him up at his Washington show.
—Caroline Thayer, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2024
During a recent episode of the beloved game show, a ruling had viewers riled up over the mispronunciation of an answer.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2024
Later, he’ll get riled up and turn nasty, at which point his bias starts to affect our perception of things.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
Conservatives either get riled by Martin or pay her no mind.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
Brockman’s behavior riled staffers on those teams, with Murati often brought in to either try to rein in Brockman or soothe bruised egos, sources said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
The shelter’s presence also riled New Yorkers who used the athletic fields the tents were built on.
—Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Reddit Reacts Many users have been riled up by the situation and have sided with the mom.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
Zach Bryan stopped a concert Saturday night after a fan riled him up at his Washington show.
—Caroline Thayer, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2024
During a recent episode of the beloved game show, a ruling had viewers riled up over the mispronunciation of an answer.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2024
Later, he’ll get riled up and turn nasty, at which point his bias starts to affect our perception of things.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
Conservatives either get riled by Martin or pay her no mind.
—Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
Brockman’s behavior riled staffers on those teams, with Murati often brought in to either try to rein in Brockman or soothe bruised egos, sources said.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riled
Adjective
-
As a result, he’s ordered to attend an acting class, where students are instructed how to soften interactions with variously angry, frightened or confused patients.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Peter Nguyen, 54, a father of a seventh-grader at the school, said lots of angry parents spoke up at the meeting.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Big, sometimes uncontrollable emotions are a normal part of growing up, and gentle parents at least try to not dismiss their or get annoyed with their kids when those challenging moments come up.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
27 Dec. 2024
-
Initially annoyed by his bubbly personality, Jovie eventually warms up to Buddy, and the pair fall in love.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
21 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The sequence of events clearly angered Bain.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2025
-
The move angered fans, and a scandal over offensive remarks Richards had made on a podcast led him to quit before his episodes aired.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
With the exception of the Russell 2000, which gained 1%, none of the major indices bothered to get out of bed the day after Christmas.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
-
The technology behind an LLM is sufficiently advanced because the people using it have not bothered to understand it.—
Elizabeth Lopatto,
The Verge,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The newspaper includes the story of how Brando was enraged to discover his voice had been dubbed by an Italian actor for the local version.—
Caroline Frost,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2025
-
But conservatives said they were enraged by the legislation.—
Catie Edmondson,
New York Times,
18 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Aliso Canyon likely to stay open for years; residents outraged.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Dec. 2024
-
As House members scrambled to pass a stopgap spending plan Friday, lawmakers removed legislation that would have fully funded the World Trade Center Health Program through 2040, outraged 9/11 advocates said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The album’s a masterpiece of circulatory funk that works your body but whose indignant resignation and few hopeful embers also break your heart.—
Wesley Morris,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2025
-
In his first news conference since he the head injury on Sept. 12, Tagovailoa appeared somewhat indignant, especially when asked about how his concussion history will impact his NFL future.—
C. Isaiah Smalls II,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
While Nigerians are upset with economic conditions, most are not mad at Dangote.—
John Hyatt,
Forbes,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Yellow blossoms on little-leaf green-twig shrubs attract local bees, and butterflies flutter in a mad dance around sprays of blue mistflower.—
Sunshine Flint,
AFAR Media,
13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Riled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riled. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share