Synonyms for rancor
- noun
- American English
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Bitterness — A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing…
bitterness, resentment, acrimony, enmity, animosity, ill-will, hatred, grudge, malice, antipathy, vindictiveness, animus, spite, malevolence, gall, venom, malignity, bile, bad blood, spleen, virulence, acerbity
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
I could almost see the rancor in his eyes when he challenged me to a fight.
Forms
- Plural
- rancors → bitternesses, resentments, acrimonies, enmities…
Choose the right word
Malice is direct, pressing toward a result; malignity is deep, lingering, and venomous, tho often impotent to act; rancor (akin to rancid) is cherished malignity that has soured and festered and is virulent and implacable.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- resentment What's the reason for your resentment towards me?
- bitterness What remains in the heart is memory and bitterness.
- enmity The incident earned Dan the enmity of his boss.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| rancor | rising | |
| resentment | rising | |
| bitterness | steady | |
| enmity | steady | |
| acrimony | rising | |
| implacability | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- gall1, bile1
- 5 letters
- spite1, venom2
- 6 letters
- hatred2, grudge1, malice2, spleen1, enmity3, animus3
- 8 letters
- acrimony4, acerbity
- 9 letters
- animosity5, antipathy4, virulence3, malignity
- 10 letters
- resentment3, bitterness3
- 11 letters
- malevolence
- 13 letters
- implacability
- 14 letters
- vindictiveness4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (venom2 = 2 syllables).