“Riled Up” Meaning, Origin and Examples

Last updated on October 8, 2024 by Liam Daniel

Idioms like “riled up” are a form of figurative language used to express emotions in a colorful way. Many people use this phrase in their everyday conversations to describe feeling agitated or excited. In this reference, we will cover various aspects of the term including its meaning, examples of its usage, and other phrases with similar meanings.

Riled Up Meaning, Origin and Usage

Key Takeaways

  • The phrase “riled up” means to make someone angry, agitated, or excited, often in a negative or frustrated way. It suggests that someone’s emotions have been stirred up, leading to a heightened state of irritation or excitement.
Riled Up
Riled Up – Created by 7ESL

“Riled Up” Meaning

The phrase “riled up” means to be agitated, angry, or excited, often in a way that can lead to a strong emotional response. When someone is riled up, they may feel stirred or provoked, which can result in heightened emotions or reactions.

Examples:

  • “He got riled up during the debate over politics.” (indicating anger or agitation)
  • “The kids were riled up after the exciting game.” (indicating excitement or energy)

In general, “riled up” conveys a sense of being emotionally charged, whether due to anger, excitement, or frustration.

Origin of this Idiomatic Expression

This idiom dates back to the 1500s to the word roil. In the 1800s the spelling was changed to rile, but both words still meant the same. If you look up the definitions of these words, you will see they mean to annoy someone or to stir something up.

Usage of “Riled Up”

  • Describing anger:

“She gets riled up whenever people criticize her work unfairly.”

  • Talking about a heated situation:

“The fans were riled up after the referee made a questionable call.”

  • In a conversation about frustration:

“He was riled up because his car broke down on the way to an important meeting.”

  • In a political or social context:

“The speech riled up the crowd, and they began chanting in support of the cause.”

Related Terms to “Riled Up“

Here are some related terms and phrases to “riled up” that convey similar feelings of agitation, anger, or excitement:

  • Agitated – feeling troubled or nervous.
  • Worked up – becoming overly emotional or excited, often in a negative way.
  • Fired up – enthusiastic or excited, sometimes to the point of being aggressive.
  • Irritated – feeling annoyed or bothered.
  • Provoked – to be stirred into action or emotional response, often angrily.
  • Upset – feeling distressed or unhappy.
  • Stirred up – emotionally aroused or agitated.
  • Disgruntled – unhappy or dissatisfied, often leading to irritation.
  • Incensed – extremely angry; enraged.
  • Excited – feeling eager or enthusiastic, sometimes in a chaotic way.

Other Ways to Say “Riled Up”

There are numerous ways to say riled up and express the same meaning. Some of these ways are stop annoying me and stop agitating me. In relation to children and hyperactivity, a similar saying would be don’t get them all excited.

  • Get angry
  • Annoy
  • Upset
  • It upsets me
  • Upset about that
  • Mad
  • Angry
  • Annoyed
  • Get overexcited
  • Irritate

“Riled Up” Examples

Example Statements

In news stories you may see a statement like:

  • “The community has been riled up since the passing of this new law.”

Another example of a statement from a sportscaster during a game:

  • “This crowd is sure riled up after that bad call by the referee.”

Conversation Examples

Here is an example conversation using the term between a mother and father.

  • Father: Honey, I am home. Where are the kids?
  • Mother: They are outside and I am making dinner.
  • Father: Great! I’m going to go surprise them!
  • Mother: Now, don’t go getting them all riled up before dinner.

Here is another example conversation between two friends.

  • Friend 1: Oh my gosh! Mr. Henderson was really angry today.
  • Friend 2: Really?! Why?
  • Friend 1: I don’t know, but something that happened during first period really riled him up!

Other Examples:

  • That class gets me so riled up.
  • Instead of getting all riled up about this, we should try to figure out what to do.
  • The policy has people riled up and ready to take action.
  • Somebody left his magazine on the front porch and it got me all riled up.
  • I got riled up by “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and “The Chomsky Reader”; Heidi read aloud passages from “The Anxiety of Influence“.
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