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Glite Dictionary
rancorous

rancorous

4 8.4
Having long lasting strong anger toward someone
  • adjective
  • /ˈræŋkərəs/
  • Formal
: rencoroso
  • Sex education has been the Middle East of the culture wars and one of the longest-running, most rancorous battlegrounds of American social policy.
  • rancorous debate

And then there's the people he says that are, that are rancorous or contentious.

Examples

  • After years of rancorous disputes, they finally agreed to settle their differences peacefully.

  • I expect a very rancorous session at the ECB with potentially explosive results.

    Blog text (13)

  • Besides being close and expensive, this race has been rancorous, with barrages of ads, robocalls, and statements.

    Blog text (2)

  • Touted as "litigation with the feminine touch," the Senate voted 28 to 20 to approve the bill after a rancorous debate.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Meetings were becoming rancorous as staff with differing opinions hurled bitter accusations at one another.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Painstaking, rancorous negotiations between the administration and congressional Democrats yielded a multiyear agreement on the budget in late 1990.

    Academic text (1991)

  • But McCarthy also says much good has come from the rancorous public debate over legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States, and he cites his own family as an example.

    Academic text (2006)

  • An increasing trend toward institutionalization of the arts has exacerbated those tensions and led to rancorous public arguments involving mainstream community values, artistic freedom, and censorship.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The rancorous argument between the neighbors left everyone feeling tense and uncomfortable.

  • The rancorous atmosphere in the meeting made it difficult for any constructive dialogue to occur.

Synonyms

bitter
vsrancorous
351 2.5

Feeling or showing strong anger and hurt

is more about enduring, deep-rooted bitterness rather than any single feeling
vindictive
vsrancorous
45 7.9

Wanting strongly to hurt someone who hurt you

is rooted in long-standing bitterness rather than specifically seeking revenge
resentful
vsrancorous
35 5.4

Feeling angry and bitter because someone treated you unfairly

is long-standing bitterness that can exist beyond a single unfair act
vitriolic
vsrancorous
  • Offensive
10 9.3

Harsh, angry words that strongly hurt someone

describes enduring bitterness as a feeling rather than harsh expressed attacks
embittered
vsrancorous
9 5.4

Feeling very angry and hurt because someone treated you unfairly

is deep-seated bitterness not limited to a specific cause
acrimonious
vsrancorous
9 8.4

Full of angry, bitter words in a speech or argument

is about deep personal bitterness rather than anger focused on disputes
venomous
vsrancorous
8 6.3

Showing strong hate and wanting to hurt someone

involves deep resentment but not necessarily a wish to harm others
fumy
vsrancorous
  • Archaic
1 9.3

Showing quiet anger and annoyance by being silent

is deeper, long-held bitterness rather than brief sullen irritation

Antonyms

forgiving
66 3.1

Ready to stop feeling angry after someone hurts you

benevolent
52 5.1

Willing to help other people and give them things they need

How Bitter

hateful
111 3.6
rancorous
  • Formal
4 8.4
resentful
35 5.4
annoyed
143 1.0

Surface Forms

rancorous positive

Morphology

rancorous = rancor (transparent) = rancor + ous

Formed by the productive suffix '-ous' from the noun 'rancor', yielding an adjective meaning 'characterized by rancor', a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

The word rancorous comes from the Latin word rancor, which means 'bitterness', and is related to the English word rancid, which we use for food that tastes 'stale' or 'bad'. So someone who is rancorous feels deep, bitter anger or long-lasting dislike.