as in angry
feeling or showing anger
the woman was obviously riled, as she kept throwing things
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of riled
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
The more people tell them to pipe down, the more riled up Kizzi and Joe get.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
They’re aided by a small team of assistants who double as dogsitters when Siwa’s poodle Clyde gets too riled up in the dance studio — he’s been known to nip the ankles of men.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
That focus now shifts to Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center, where OKC’s raucous fans will be riled up and ready.
—Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
Stuttgart’s Chris Führich had riled the home team with the opener in the 21st minute, but Bayern’s Raphaël Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Alphonso Davies replied by scoring in a six-minute spell in the first half.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
The common threads are authors being riled at adaptations that do not — in their view — closely honor the source material, or feel like their views are not being taken into account.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Other times, the likes of junior safety Kyle Hall has gotten the defense riled up after batting down a ball that was basically in Wagner’s hands.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
Activists are riled up over the food delivery robots traversing the city, operated by the delivery companies Coco and Serve Robotics.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
While two sources say Sarandos was riled to hear about this during a chance encounter with a Penguin executive, a Netflix insider says the Co-CEO never met anyone at the publishing house regarding the book.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
The product of an online hip-hop ecosystem now built around getting attention through clipfarming social media accounts made to get millennials riled up?
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Jacobs, at least in the movie, never gets riled or angry or stressed.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
The more people tell them to pipe down, the more riled up Kizzi and Joe get.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026
They’re aided by a small team of assistants who double as dogsitters when Siwa’s poodle Clyde gets too riled up in the dance studio — he’s been known to nip the ankles of men.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
Boldy returned to action with the second line for the second period — drawing a roar from the crowd that was riled up about the officiating throughout the first period — and assisted on a goal that tied it at 2.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
That focus now shifts to Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center, where OKC’s raucous fans will be riled up and ready.
—Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2026
Stuttgart’s Chris Führich had riled the home team with the opener in the 21st minute, but Bayern’s Raphaël Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Alphonso Davies replied by scoring in a six-minute spell in the first half.
—ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
The common threads are authors being riled at adaptations that do not — in their view — closely honor the source material, or feel like their views are not being taken into account.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Other times, the likes of junior safety Kyle Hall has gotten the defense riled up after batting down a ball that was basically in Wagner’s hands.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2026
Activists are riled up over the food delivery robots traversing the city, operated by the delivery companies Coco and Serve Robotics.
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
While two sources say Sarandos was riled to hear about this during a chance encounter with a Penguin executive, a Netflix insider says the Co-CEO never met anyone at the publishing house regarding the book.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
The product of an online hip-hop ecosystem now built around getting attention through clipfarming social media accounts made to get millennials riled up?
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for riled
Adjective
-
The many leaps in time to the wedding—to which Ruben shows up on a motorcycle, angry enough to knock his brother out with a single punch—consistently ratchet up the sense of dread, and the suspense over why or how these two have stayed enmeshed.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Jabil board defies angry shareholders.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Teams routinely get annoyed with media that spends time on this sort of thing, but there is no better sales tactic than drama.—
Mac Engel
April 16,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2026
-
But now Lamar is doing press annoyed with me.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The court struck down that portion of the legislation, a move that infuriated Cindy's family.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Hart’s stance infuriated some of his liberal supporters and sparked a Michigan recall petition to oust him from the Senate.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Officers said an adult male suspect attempted to sell products to the bakery and became enraged when an employee declined.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Shortly after administering the technical to an enraged Self, referee Doug Sirmons hit KU’s coach with another tech, ostensibly for remaining on the court instead of returning to the coach’s box.—
Gary Bedore
March 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Who never bothered to delete the erroneous post.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
With Minnesota viewing them as soft, the Nuggets hardly seem bothered by the criticism.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The verdict on the lesser charge angered Diller’s colleagues in the NYPD.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Trump faces record-low approval ratings, while Washington’s war on Iran, which has sent US gasoline prices spiking, has further angered voters.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The outraged reactions only intensified, including claims that teams would be reticent to do business with the Ravens in the future.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
His death has left many shocked and outraged.—
Naveen Dhaliwal,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His last-minute, mixmaster approach to closing out the transit negotiations irritated several participants, but the end result was a fiscally responsible and transformative restructuring of mass transit in northern Illinois.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Even minimal exposure to artificial lights irritated his burns, and recovery took months.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Riled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riled. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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