rank², adj. 1. exuberant, superabundant, luxuriant, lush, overgrown; tropical, jungly, dense, wild; abundant, profuse, prolific, fructuous, productive, fertile.
2. strong, smelly, rammish, pungent, acrid; malodorous, fetid, reeky, reeking, stinky, stenchful, foul-smelling, strong-smelling, odorous, odiferous; noisome, mephitic, nauseating, sickening, unpleasant, disagreeable; putrid, rancid, rotten, tainted, spoiled, gamy, putrescent, miasmal; offensive, disgusting, repulsive, repellent, revolting.
3. utter, complete, sheer, entire; absolute, out-and-out, downright, thorough, unqualified, unmitigated; flagrant, glaring, egregious, striking, blatant.
4. indecent, immodest, shameless, indecorous, coarse; obscene, vulgar, gross, risqud, off-color, Inf. blue; lurid, shocking, abusive, scurrilous, Archaic. scurrile, thersitical, profane, foul-mouthed, Fescen-nine, Obs. blackguard; lewd, salacious, pornographic, vile, foul, filthy, dirty, smutty, nasty, scatologic, SI. raunchy.
rank and file, n. 1. commonalty, the public, the general public, citizenry, populace, world-at-large; society, community, commonwealth, state, body politic; stockholders, shareholders, shareholders, participants, membership.
2. proletariat, hoi polloi, the masses, the many, the great unnumbered, multitude, crowd; bourgeoisie, middle classes; lower classes, humbler classes, commoners, peasantry, salt-of-the-earth; low life, dregs, underlings, riff-raff, Inf. the great unwashed; mob, rabble, horde, herd, rout, rankle, v. (all of feelings) fester, rile, gall, irk, get, get to one, get one's goat; irritate, vex, provoke, pique, annoy, peeve, nettle, chafe, grate, get on [s.o.'sj nerves, Inf. aggravate, Inf. give [s.o.] a pain, Inf. rub [s.o.] the wrong way; torment, plague, bother, fret, exacerbate, exasperate; anger, inflame, enflame, stir, stir up, work up.
ransack, v. 1. search, rummage, rake through, probe, Brit. Dial, ripe, look everywhere in; look high and low, turn everything upside down or inside out, leave no stone unturned; explore, seek everywhere, look all over, scour, range over, scan, survey; scrutinize, pry, ferret out, nose out, hunt out.
2. pillage, plunder, rob, despoil, Archaic, spoil, spoliate; ravage, harry, rape, maraud, devastate, lay waste, depredate; sack, loot, gut, fleece, strip, rifle; pirate, freeboot, privateer, buccaneer.
3. rob, burglarize, burgle, break in; steal, thieve, pilfer, purloin, filch, Inf. snitch; help oneself to, make free with, walk off with; SI. rip off, SI. crook.
ransom, n. 1. redemption, buying back, buying or paying off; rescue, extrication, restoration, deliverance, delivery; release, freeing, freedom, liberty, liberating, emancipation, manumission; discharge, parole, furlough, probation, acquittal, acquittance, reprieve, stay of execution, exemption; loosing, disenthrall-ment, unfettering, unbinding, untying, unshackling, unchaining, unbridling, unyoking.
2. price, cost, payment, pay, payoff, SI. take, Brit. SI. get; sum, amount, total.
3. penalty, fine, fee, (in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic countries) wergild; compensation, repayment, remuneration, recoupment, indemnity, indemnification, damages, Law. solatium; reparation, amends, retribution, restitution, redress, return, settlement; atonement, expatiation, propitiation, peace offering, quittance, requital, satisfaction.
-v. 4. redeem, buy back, pay for, buy or pay off; rescue, extricate, restore, get [s.o.] out, deliver, theol. save.