RILED Synonyms: 264 Similar and Opposite Words

riled 1 of 2

adjective

as in angry

feeling or showing anger the woman was obviously riled, as she kept throwing things

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

riled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of rile

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in infuriated

to make angry her husband isn't easily riled, but once he is, he stays that way for days

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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

Adjective

The Aaron Rodgers segment on ESPN got folks on both sides of the Anthony Fauci debate quite riled up on Monday. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 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

Township officials accused me of a power grab and riled up the local township boards, which came out en masse. — Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026 And while enough baseball (and IL time) has happened since then to dim Mayer’s star considerably, there’s enough promise left in him to get Law riled up about the trade. — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Offseason inaction on the pitching side already riled folks up, though … and methinks alleviating that angst will require something more adventurous. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 29 July 2026 This riled up the Kremlin, which works to create a perception of total support for Putin among the voting public. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 17 July 2026 Its reporting angered not only other Arab leaders, sometimes to the point of diplomatic rupture, but also riled Washington. — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 Water use, electricity costs and more have riled up large portions of the electorate. — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 24 June 2026 That’s the only explicable reason for Australians to be riled up by comments from a guy most American fans can’t pick out of a lineup, whose most productive season came for a club literally named the Rough Riders. — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 After New York pulled off a 29-point comeback against the Spurs at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, June 10, riled up fans flocked to the San Antonio team's New York City hotel, where Wembanyama was met with boos and nearly pelted with eggs. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riled

Adjective

Much of the work is also focused on building guardrails to protect clients from lawsuits — coming from business partners, local officials, or angry neighbors — in an industry that has an increasingly visible target on its back.

— Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Though nothing about the current situation is ideal, there’s no clear way to hop off without ensuring certain doom at the hands of a large, angry cat.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of angry

Verb

Not even Jeff being annoyed at Kasandra’s drunkenness can ruin the mood.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
That was Gardner’s first game with the Colts after being acquired from the New York Jets, and while Indy pulled out the OT victory, Gardner was still annoyed by some of the social media chatter afterward.

— James Boyd, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of annoyed

Verb

The White House’s abrupt decision last week to ease tariffs on 300,000 metric tons — more than 660 million pounds — of foreign beef imports has infuriated American cattle ranchers and congressional Republicans alike.

— Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
The heated rhetoric has infuriated and astonished most Canadians; in a recent poll, seventy-six per cent supported the decision of the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, to walk away from trade talks with Washington.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of infuriated

Adjective

Imagine the ripe smell of swamp-wet dogs, the acrid stench of overheated, enraged bear, the slippery warm blood of pack members already lost; the simply insufferable noise and confusion in that dank little hole.

— Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
As a consequence, Nadia’s enraged sponsors send her packing back to Europe.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of enraged

Verb

That will make affordable tickets more difficult to find, especially as the tournament reports registering record-breaking visits, and already has angered fans and some players.

— Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
That angered Michigan Democrats who were frustrated with El-Sayed, and brought Jeffries and other Democrats into the fray, putting the candidate El-Sayed had invested the most in on the defensive.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of angered

Adjective

Myers was outraged, believing that his initial comment that spurred police involvement was constitutionally protected free speech.

— Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2026
When Lands’ End featured an interview with Steinem in its 2016 catalog, outraged readers threatened a boycott.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of outraged

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Style

“Riled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riled. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of riled

adjective

verb

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