Rank

English

Adjective

Rank (comparative ranker or more rank, superlative rankest or most rank)

1. Having a very strong and bad odor.

   Your gym clothes are rank, bro’ – when d’you last wash ’em?

2. (informal) Gross, disgusting.
3. Complete, used as an intensifier (usually negative, referring to incompetence).

   I am a rank amateur as a wordsmith.

   • 2011 Phil McNulty Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd

   Chelsea remain rank outsiders to retain their crown and they still lie 12 points adrift of United, but Ancelotti will regard this as a performance that supports his insistence that they can still have a say when the major prizes are handed out this season.

Synonyms

• (bad odor): stinky, smelly
  • See also: pong (UK)
• (complete): complete, utter

Adverb

Rank (comparative more Rank, superlative most Rank)

1. (obsolete) Quickly, eagerly, impetuously.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.iii:

     The seely man seeing him ryde so rancke, / And ayme at him, fell flat to ground for feare [...].

Noun

Rank (plural Ranks)

1. position of a person, place, thing, or idea in relation to others based on a shared property such as physical location, population, or quality

   Based on your test scores, you have a rank of 23.

2. a level in an organization such as the military

   Private First Class (PFC) is the lowest rank in the Marines.

3. (taxonomy) a level in a scientific taxonomy system

   Phylum is the taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class.

4. (usually plural) The lines or rows of people in an organization

   He rose up through the ranks of the company from mailroom clerk to CEO.

5. One of the horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard
6. (linear algebra) maximal number of linearly independent columns (or rows) of a matrix.
7. (music) In a pipe organ, a set of pipes of a certain quality for which each pipe corresponds to one key or pedal.
8. (computing) The dimensionality of an array.

Derived terms

• break rank
• close ranks
• pull rank

Verb

Rank (third-person singular simple present Ranks, present participle Ranking, simple past and past participle Ranked)

1. to give a person, place, thing, or idea a rank

   Their defense ranked third in the league.

Adjectives for Rank

high; foremost; crowding; honorable; illustrious; scholarly; serried (pi); unbroken; dense; poetical; bending; unwearied (pi); superior; wasting; preeminent; hostile (pi) ; distinguished; swaying (pi) ; teeming (pi); glittering (pi); myriad (pi); titled; depleted (pi); innumerable (pi); obscurest; riddled (pi); stalwart (pi); regular; inferior; extinguished; culinary; extrinsic; intermediate; exhausted (pi); shattered (pi); disordered (pi); relative; jeweled; stately; immortal; intellectual; melancholy; interminable; mournful; rightful; respective; enveloping (pi); princely; gathering (pi); delicate; swelling (pi); fastfalling (pi); equal; riven (pi); reeling (pi).

Verbs for Rank

accredit—; achieve—; acquire—; ascend to —; aspire to—; assign to—; break—s; de¬note—; desert—s; divest of—; earn—; eject from—s; elevate to—; forfeit—; honor—; praise—s; promote to—; reduce to—s; re¬spect—; scatter—; shatter—s; signal—s; solidify—s; split—s; swell—s; win—; — dignifies; —eclipses; —glorifies; —out¬shines; —surpasses; —transcends.

Adverbs for Rank

deservedly; poetically; obscurely; relatively; intellectually; rightfully; aristocratically; humbly.

Thesaurus

English horn, IC analysis, Indian file, KP, abject, abominable, absolute, abundant, adjust, align, alphabetize, analyze, ancestry, antecede, appositive, appraise, appreciate, aristocracy, aristocraticalness, army, army group, arrange, arrant, array, articulation, ascendancy, assess, assort, atrocious, attribute, attributive, authority, awful, bad, bad-smelling, bank, barfy, base, bassoon, battalion, battery, battle group, be distinguished, be regarded, be thought of, bearings, beastly, beggarly, beneath contempt, birth, black, blamable, blameworthy, blatant, block flute, blood, blown, blue, blue blood, bolt, bombard, bourdon, bracket, brackish, branch, break down, brigade, broad, broken, brutal, bulk, bumpy, buzz, cachet, cadre, call, capacity, capital, case, caste, catalog, categorize, category, catena, catenation, cello, chain, chain reaction, chaining, character, cheesy, choppy, circumstance, circumstances, clan, claribel, clarinet, clarion, class, classical, classify, cloying, coarse, coarse-grained, codify, cohort, collate, column, combat command, combat team, come before, come first, company, complement, complete, concatenation, concert flute, condition, connection, consecution, consequence, conspicuous, construction modifier, consummate, contemptible, continuity, continuum, cool off, cornet, cornopean, corps, corrugated, corrupt, count, course, crappy, crass, criminal, cromorna, cross-grained, crummy, cutting, cycle, cymbel, damnable, dank, dark, debased, decided, deep structure, definitive, degraded, degree, dense, deplorable, deploy, depraved, descent, despicable, detachment, detail, detestable, diapason, digest, dignity, dire, direct object, dirty, disagreeable, disgraceful, disgusting, dispose, distinction, divide, division, downright, dreadful, drone, dulciana, earthy, echelon, egregious, eminence, employees, endless belt, endless round, enlarge, enormous, estate, estimate, evaluate, evil, execrable, exuberant, face, fecal, feculent, fertile, fetid, field army, field train, figure, file, filiation, filler, filthy, fix, flagitious, flagrant, flourishing, flute stop, flyblown, flying column, footing, form, form an estimate, form-function unit, formation, foul, foundation stop, fourniture, frank, front, frowsty, frowy, frowzy, fructuous, fulsome, function, funky, fusty, gamba, gamut, gamy, garrison, gauge, gedeckt, gemshorn, genteelness, gentility, give an appreciation, glaring, gloppy, go ahead of, go before, go in advance, gradate, gradation, grade, graduate, grainy, granulated, grave, graveolent, greatness, grievous, gross, group, grouping, grown, guess, gunky, gutter, harmonic flute, harmonize, hateful, have priority, head, head the table, head up, heading, heavy, heinous, hierarchize, hierarchy, high, high place, high-tasted, homespun, honorable descent, horrible, horrid, horripilant, hum, humid, hybrid stop, icky, ill-smelling, immediate constituent analysis, immodest, impenetrable, importance, improper, indecent, indecorous, index, indirect object, inequal, infamous, influence, influentialness, iniquitous, intolerable, irregular, jam, jolty, jungled, jungly, kick off, kin, kitchen police, knavish, koppel flute, kudos, label, lamentable, larigot, lavish, lay out, lead, lead off, legion, level, levels, line, line up, lineage, linsey-woolsey, list, little, loathsome, location, lot, lousy, low, low-down, lumpen, lurid, lush, luxuriant, maggoty, make an estimation, malodorous, mangy, maniple, mark, marshal, match, mawkish, mean, measly, measure, melodia, mephitic, methodize, miasmal, miasmic, mildewed, mildewy, miserable, mixture, modality, mode, modifier, moldy, moment, monotone, monstrous, mucky, musty, mutation stop, nasty, naughty, nauseant, nauseating, nauseous, nazard, nefarious, nexus, nidorous, nobility, noble birth, nobleness, noisome, normalize, noticeable, notorious, noxious, object, obnoxious, oboe, obscene, octave, odious, odorous, off, off color, offensive, olid, order, ordurous, organ stop, organization, organize, out-and-out, outfit, outrageous, outrank, outright, outstanding, overgrown, overripe, overrun, pacify, paltry, pass, peccant, peerage, pendulum, perfect, periodicity, petty, phalanx, phrase structure, piccolo, pickle, pigeonhole, pimply, pitiable, pitiful, pitted, place, platoon, play first fiddle, plein jeu, plenum, plight, pocky, poisonous, poky, poor, pornographic, posaune, position, positive, posse, posture, potholed, powder train, power, power structure, precede, precedence, precious, predicament, predicate, pressure, prestige, principal, priority, prize, productive, profound, profuse, progression, prolific, prominence, pronounced, proper, proportion, puky, pungent, putrid, qualifier, quality, queue, quiet, quint, quintaten, race, rampant, rancid, range, rank first, rank out, ranket, ranks, rate, rating, raunchy, raw, reasty, reasy, rebarbative, reckon, recurrence, reechy, reed stop, reeking, reeky, regiment, register, regrettable, regular, regularize, regulate, reprehensible, reprobate, reptilian, repulsive, reticulation, riddle, riotous, ripply, risque, rohr flute, rotation, rotten, rough, rough-cast, rough-grained, rough-hewn, round, routine, routinize, row, royalty, rubric, ruffled, run, rutted, rutty, sad, scabby, scale, scandalous, scatological, schlock, screen, scrubby, scruffy, scummy, scurfy, scurvy, section, seniority, separate, sept, sequence, serial order, series, sesquialtera, set, set up, shabby, shagged, shaggy, shallow structure, shameful, shameless, shattering, shawm, sheer, shitty, shocking, shoddy, sickening, sieve, sift, sinful, single file, situation, size, slabby, slimy, sloppy, sloshy, slot, slot and filler, sludgy, slushy, small, smellful, smelling, smelly, smutty, soldiers, sordid, sort, sort out, sour, spectrum, sphere, spitz flute, spoiled, sposhy, spot, squad, squadron, squalid, staff, stage, stale, stand, stand first, standardize, standing, star, stark, stark-staring, state, station, stature, status, stenchy, stinking, stop, stopped diapason, stopped flute, strain, strata, stratum, string, string diapason, string out, string stop, strong, strong-flavored, strong-tasting, structure, stuffy, subdivide, subdivision, subgroup, subject, suborder, subordinate, subordination, succession, sulfurous, superabundant, superiority, superlative, surface structure, surpassing, swath, syntactic analysis, syntactic structure, syntactics, syntax, systematize, tabulate, tactical unit, tagmeme, tainted, take precedence, task force, terrible, textured, the veriest, thick, thorough, thoroughgoing, thread, tier, tierce, title, too bad, total, train, tranquilize, tremolo, trombone, troop, trumpet, turned, twelfth, type, unalloyed, unbearable, unclean, unconscionable, uncouth, unda maris, undeniable, underlying structure, undiluted, unequivocal, uneven, unforgivable, unit, unkempt, unlevel, unmentionable, unmitigated, unpardonable, unpolished, unqualified, unrefined, unrelieved, unsmooth, unspeakable, unspoiled, ununiform, unweeded, unworthy, usher in, utter, valuate, value, vibrato, vicious, vile, villainous, viola, voix celeste, vomity, vox angelica, vox humana, vulgar, weed-choked, weed-ridden, weedy, weevily, weight, weightiness, wicked, wimpled, windrow, wing, woeful, word arrangement, word order, workers, wormy, worst, worthless, wretched, wrong, yecchy, yucky

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ræŋk/

• Audio (US)

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  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋk

Etymology 1

From Old English ranc, from Proto-Germanic *rankaz.

Etymology 2

Middle English rank (“line, row”) from Old French reng, rang, ranc (“line, row, rank”) (Modern French rang), of Germanic origin, from Frankish hring (“ring”) from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“something bent or curved”), which is of uncertain origin.

Akin to Old High German (h)ring, Old Frisian hring, Old English hring, hrincg (“ring”) (Modern English ring), Old Norse hringr (“ring, circle, queue, sword; ship”). More at ring.

Translations

Adjective

Having a very strong and bad odor

Dutch: stinkend (nl) Finnish: löyhkäävä, lemuava, haiseva (fi) German: stinkend (de) Italian: puzzolente (it)

Mandarin: 腥 Romanian: rânced (ro) Scottish Gaelic: breun Swedish: stank (sv)

Highly offensive; disgusting

German: ekelhaft (de) Italian: ripugnante (it), repellente (it) Scottish Gaelic: breun

Spanish: repugnante (es) Swedish: vämjelig (sv)

Noun

position of a person, place, thing, or idea in relation to others based on a shared property such as physical location, population, or quality

Finnish: sija, sijoitus, asema, rankkaus (sports only), taso Italian: rango (it) m., ceto (it) m., condizione sociale (it)

Swedish: klass (sv), placering (sv)

a level in an organization such as the military

Armenian: կոչում (hy) (kočum) Dutch: rang (nl) Finnish: arvo (fi), sotilasarvo (fi) German: Dienstgrad (de) m.

Italian: grado (it) m., truppa (it) f., gregario (it) Macedonian: чин (mk) (čin) m. Polish: ranga (pl) f., stopień (pl) m. Swedish: grad (sv)

The lines or rows of people in an organization

German: Reihe (de) Italian: fila (it) f., schiera (it) f.

Polish: szeregi (pl) pl.

One of the horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard

French: rangée (fr) f. German: Reihe (de)

Swedish: rad (sv)

maximal number of linearly independent columns (or rows) of a matrix

Polish: rząd (pl) m.

In a pipe organ, a set of pipes of a certain quality for which each pipe corresponds to one key or pedal

Dutch: register (nl) n., werk (nl) n.

Swedish: verk (sv)

The translations below need to be checked.

• German: Platz m.
• Esperanto: rango

Verb

to give a person, place, thing, or idea a rank

Chinese: Mandarin: 排名 (zh), 名列 (zh) Finnish: sijoittaa, sijoittua, rankata (sports only)

French: classer (fr) German: an einer Stelle stehen Swedish: gradera (sv), klassificera (sv), klassa (sv), placera (sv)

Anagrams

• ARNK
• knar
• nark

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Dutch

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch ranc, from Proto-Germanic *rankaz.

Adjective

Rank (comparative Ranker, superlative Rankst)

1. slender, svelte

Declension

Declension of Rank

		positive	comparative	superlative
				attributive	predicative/adverbial
predicative/adverbial		Rank	Ranker
neuter singular	indefinite	Rank	Ranker
	definite	Ranke	Rankere	Rankste	het Rankst(e)
common singular		Ranke	Rankere	Rankste	de Rankste
plural		Ranke	Rankere	Rankste	de Rankste
partitive		Ranks	Rankers

Etymology 2

Noun

Rank f. and m. (plural Ranken, diminutive Rankje, diminutive plural Rankjes)

1. tendril, a thin winding stem;

Anagrams

• karn