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
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But engaging with those properties could mean putting even more money into her pocket and represent an explicit affirmation of her rancorous positions. Glen Weldon, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025 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 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 27 Jan. 2025.

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