Dictionary

rile en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɹaɪl/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹɑel/ (Australia)
• /ɹaɪl/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• [ɹɑe̯l] (New-Zealand)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From a dialectal pronunciation of roil.

Meanings

1. To stir or move from a state of calm or order.
   • Money problems rile the underpaid worker every day.
   • “Boh!” said Tom, “don’t I know?—don’t make me too sick with any yer stuff,—my stomach is a leetle riled now;” and Tom drank half a glass of raw brandy. 1851 June – 1852 April, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Boston, Mass.: John P[unchard] Jewett & Company; Cleveland, Oh.: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, published 20 March 1852, →OCLC:
   • It riles me that she never closes the door after she leaves.
   • Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really rile me.
2. (in particular) To make angry.
   • Francis riled conservative cardinals with his compassion for migrants and refugees, openness towards LGBTQ+ Catholics and demands for action on the climate crisis. 2025 May 8, Angela Giuffrida and Harriet Sherwood, “White smoke from Sistine Chapel chimney signals election of new pope”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Jul 2025:
   • Nothing riles an anti-mosque demonstrator more than being called a bigot. 2010 August 30, Charlie Brooker, “Buzzwords for blowhards”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 30 May 2023:
   • Riled by a decision that went against him, Ziv kicked his displaced boot at the assistant referee and, after a short consultation between the officials, he was given his marching orders and the loudest cheer of the night. 2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 26 Feb 2022:

Forms

Deriveds

rilesome · rile up · riley

Synonyms

gall · irritate · ruffle some feathers · test someone's patience · vex · grate · aggravate · chap someone's hide · make someone see red · get on someone's wick · vex · get up · cross · torque off · pique · nark · roil · hack off · get someone's Irish up · ruffle · piss off · hassle · rile · grind one's gears · rankle · set off · incense · raise someone's hackles · piss off · provoke · get someone's back up · devil · antagonize · make someone's blood boil · rile · annoy · frustrate · peeve · nettle · acerbate · get to · irritate · trouble · set up someone's birse · Idioms: · harsh one's mellow · exasperate · infuriate · boil someone's piss · get someone's nanny · wind up · mommick · get on someone's tits · raise someone's shag · roil · bedevil · put out · make angry · bother · persecute · inflame · disgruntle · cheese off · try one's patience · get someone's dander up · rattle someone's cage · get under one's goat · sting · tee off · awrath · get under someone's skin · put someone's back up · rile up · burn up · burn someone's ass · trouble · tick off · jazz · get · get someone's goat · nerve · tick off · anger · irk · get on someone's nerves · provoke · raise someone's hackles · honk off · ruffle someone's feathers · nark · grotch · get one's back up · rub the wrong way · antagonize · embitter · pee off · give someone the shits · aggravate · rub up the wrong way · put someone's back up · get someone's goat · steam · rankle · anger · get someone's Irish up · burn up · bug · madden · get someone's nanny-goat · cheese off · get someone's dander up · offend · envenom · botherate · affront · peeve off · get · storm · molest · aggravate · rub someone the wrong way · outrage

Translations (28)

fi suututtaa (to anger, annoy) · cs lézt na nervy (to anger, annoy) · hu izgat (to incite) · es encolerizar (to anger, annoy) · tl mang-inis (to anger, annoy) · bg дразня (to anger, annoy) · hu kihoz a sodrából (to anger, annoy) · tr kızdırmak (to anger, annoy) · hu dühít (to anger, annoy) · fi ärsyttää (to incite) · cs štvát (to anger, annoy) · tl inisin (to anger, annoy) · io iracigar (to anger, annoy) · pt incitar (to incite) · hu bosszant (to anger, annoy) · es sacar de quicio (to anger, annoy) · mi whakariri (to anger, annoy) · es sulfurar (to anger, annoy) · ru злить (to anger, annoy) · ru раздражать (to anger, annoy) · de reizen (to anger, annoy) · de ärgern (to anger, annoy) · de aufbringen (to anger, annoy) · fi ärsyttää (to anger, annoy) · cs vytáčet (to anger, annoy) · bg сърдя (to anger, annoy) · es encabronar (to anger, annoy) · mi whakatakariri (to anger, annoy)