Caused ongoing annoyance

Usage examples of rankled.

That such an incident had occurred at all rankled deeply in Todd, marring what should have been a great occasion.

She was grateful to be safe but somehow it rankled her that her rescuer should prove to be a heavyworlder.

Though Peter was somewhat accustomed to such a reaction to his skinny, unprepossessing teenage appearance, the colonel's scathing regard had rankled, the encounter leaving behind it an offensive taint.

It rankled that her body was not sufficiently mended to add that argument to verbal ones.

Chalkin had bid for the man's services, but Chrislee had spurned Bitra's offer and that refusal had long rankled in Chalkin's mind.

He would either concede to F'lar's authority completely, though concession rankled deeply, or leave the Weyr.

It still rankled F'lar deeply that Fort's Weyrleader had tried to shift the blame of the fight from his very guilty rider to Terry.

It rankled in his mind that he couldn't give voice to his dissatisfaction with that answer, and his frustration.

Toric's realization that he had settled for such a small portion of the southern lands still rankled in that ambitious man's mind.

The fact that the Weyrleaders controlled such dispositions rankled with many but, after heated debate in the Council, that had been agreed.

It still rankled that the CIA refused to fill in the gaps in Catlin's file.

Wolfe’s stinging comments about girls who were too useless to comb their own hair had rankled deeply, as did the memory of his laughter when he had found her long braid trapped in the trunk.

Watching Jessica’s glance follow the soft-spoken Rafe until he vanished into the incandescent eye of the sun had rankled Wolfe deeply.

It was the first real sign that his frequent praising of Willow’s accomplishments had rankled Jessica.

The thought of scavenging like a contemptible beggar rankled, but I considered that as a slave of the king I had as much right to a little food as anyone else.