ire

1 of 2

noun

ˈī(-ə)r 

: intense and usually openly displayed anger

ire transitive verb

ireful

ˈī(-ə)r-fəl 

adjective

Ire

2 of 2

abbreviation

Ireland

Synonyms

Noun

• anger
• angriness
• birse [chiefly Scottish]
• choler
• furor
• fury
• indignation
• irateness
• lividity
• lividness
• mad
• madness
• mood [archaic]
• outrage
• rage
• spleen
• wrath
• wrathfulness

Choose the Right Synonym for ire

anger, ire, rage, fury, indignation, wrath mean an intense emotional state induced by displeasure.

anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage

could not contain his fury

indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

Examples of ire in a Sentence

Noun

He directed his ire at the coworkers who reported the incident.

the patronizing comment from the snooty waiter roused her ire

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But some of the ire shared under the hashtag was also directed at the publication’s decision to crown Swift the second-best pop star on its list. —Daysia Tolentino, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2024

Nonetheless, penny backers claim the ire surrounding the coin is misplaced. —Greg McKenna, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024

Advertisement Gaetz, a hard-right Republican who complained that McCarthy worked across the political aisle too often, played a central role in ousting him last year from the speaker’s position — and McCarthy has made his ire for Gaetz clear since then. —Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024

This was a result of Lacy appearing at Kendrick Lamar’s The Pop Out concert this past June, an event that has turned anyone who was onstage into the subject of Drizzy’s ire. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin ira; perhaps akin to Greek oistros gadfly, frenzy

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ire

noun

ˈī(ə)r 

: anger entry 1

ire verb

ireful

-fəl 

adjective

irefully

-fə-lē

adverb