dudgeon

1 of 2

noun (1)

dud·​geon ˈdə-jən How to pronounce dudgeon (audio)
1
obsolete : a wood used especially for dagger hilts
2
a
archaic : a dagger with a handle of dudgeon
b
obsolete : a haft made of dudgeon

dudgeon

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a fit or state of indignation
often used in the phrase in high dudgeon
Choose the Right Synonym for dudgeon

offense, resentment, umbrage, pique, dudgeon, huff mean an emotional response to or an emotional state resulting from a slight or indignity.

offense implies hurt displeasure.

takes deep offense at racial slurs

resentment suggests lasting indignation or ill will.

harbored a lifelong resentment of his brother

umbrage may suggest hurt pride, resentment, or suspicion of another's motives.

took umbrage at the offer of advice

pique applies to a transient feeling of wounded vanity.

in a pique I foolishly declined the invitation

dudgeon suggests an angry fit of indignation.

stormed out of the meeting in high dudgeon

huff implies a peevish short-lived spell of anger usually at a petty cause.

in a huff he slammed the door

Examples of dudgeon in a Sentence

Noun (2) stomped off in high dudgeon after having his honor questioned
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Instead, the high dudgeon now heard in Tennant’s fey voice gives too much weight to the smugness of group-thinkers. Armond White, National Review, 18 Sep. 2024 Truth Social, meanwhile, is its own, strange creature: a social media platform born out of Donald Trump’s dudgeon at being banned from Facebook and Twitter due to his posts on those platforms. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024 But some Angelenos took their picket signs and their dudgeon to City Hall. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023 His appeal lies in the contrast between this tone of absolute sincerity, which often escalates into high dudgeon, and the nature of his obsessions, which run toward jarring combinations of the stupefyingly mundane and the elaborately scatological. Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 17 June 2022 Dederer is at her best on such complicities—her own fondness for assholes, our cultural fascination with monsters—and less convincing when in a dudgeon, or deploying her feelings and experiences as intellectual credentials. Laura Kipnis, The New Republic, 5 May 2023 The antics of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers — whipped into high dudgeon by right-wing politicians who generally wear masks and are fully vaccinated — set off progressives, some of whose worst tendencies are sneering, condescension and sanctimoniousness. Greg Jefferson, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Dec. 2021 Radek Sikorski was in high dudgeon, and rightly so. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 13 Oct. 2021 On Thursday, the asymmetrical reaction from the two parties — with Democrats in high dudgeon and Republicans relatively muted — hinted at how the two sides may approach the issue in the midterm campaign. Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English dogeon, from Anglo-French digeon, dogeon

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1573, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dudgeon was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Dudgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dudgeon. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

dudgeon

noun
dud·​geon
ˈdəj-ən
: ill humor
stomped off in high dudgeon
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