Meanings
plural rancors · alternative rancour
- UScountableuncountableA 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.
Synonyms: bitterness, resentment, spite, animus, grudge, enmity
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinranceō
- Latinrancor
- Old Frenchrancor
- Middle Englishrancour
- Englishrancor
First attested in the 13th century as Middle English rancour, from Old French rancor, from Latin rancor (“rancidity, grudge, rancor”), from ranceō (“to be rotten or putrid”), from which also English rancid.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حِقْد
- حِقْد (ḥiqd)the deepest malignity or spite
Bulgarian омраза, злоба
- омраза (omraza)the deepest malignity or spite
- злоба (zloba)the deepest malignity or spite
- ненавист (nenavist)the deepest malignity or spite
Catalan rancúnia
- rancúniathe deepest malignity or spite
Chinese Mandarin 怨恨, 仇恨
- 怨恨 (yuànhèn)the deepest malignity or spite
- 仇恨 (chóuhèn)the deepest malignity or spite
- 敵意 /敌意 (díyì)the deepest malignity or spite
Czech zášť, nevraživost
- zášťthe deepest malignity or spite
- nevraživostthe deepest malignity or spite
- nenávistthe deepest malignity or spite
Dutch rancune, wrok
- rancunethe deepest malignity or spite
- wrokthe deepest malignity or spite
Finnish kauna, katkeruus
- kaunathe deepest malignity or spite
- katkeruusthe deepest malignity or spite
- vihathe deepest malignity or spite
French rancune, rancœur
- rancunethe deepest malignity or spite
- rancœurthe deepest malignity or spite
- rancœursthe deepest malignity or spite
German Groll
- Grollthe deepest malignity or spite
Hebrew איבה
- איבה (eyvá)the deepest malignity or spite
Hungarian rosszakarat, gyűlölet
- rosszakaratthe deepest malignity or spite
- gyűlöletthe deepest malignity or spite
Irish aicis
- aicisthe deepest malignity or spite
Italian rancore
- rancorethe deepest malignity or spite
Māori kaikino, hūneinei
- kaikinothe deepest malignity or spite
- hūneineithe deepest malignity or spite
- hūngeingeithe deepest malignity or spite
Polish uraza, żal
- urazathe deepest malignity or spite
- żalthe deepest malignity or spite
Portuguese rancor
- rancorthe deepest malignity or spite
Romanian ranchiună, pică
- ranchiunăthe deepest malignity or spite
- picăthe deepest malignity or spite
- rancoarethe deepest malignity or spite
Russian злопа́мятство, затаённая не́нависть
- злопа́мятство (zlopámjatstvo)the deepest malignity or spite
- затаённая не́нависть (zatajónnaja nénavistʹ)the deepest malignity or spite
Spanish rencor, rancor
- rencorthe deepest malignity or spite
- rancorthe deepest malignity or spite
- rencurathe deepest malignity or spite
- rancurathe deepest malignity or spite
Turkish hiddet, öfke
- hiddetthe deepest malignity or spite
- öfkethe deepest malignity or spite
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rancor
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
rancor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rancor
“rancor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rancor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rancor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rancor.
Source: rancor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.