ire

1 of 2

noun

: intense and usually openly displayed anger
ire transitive verb
ireful adjective

Ire

2 of 2

abbreviation

Ireland
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
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
Here’s the back story: The team captain drew the ire of Royals fans Saturday with a four-strikeout performance. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 8 June 2025 But despite a 90-day trade truce with the United States, Beijing has yet to loosen these controls, drawing ire from Washington. John Liu, CNN Money, 5 June 2025 In Trump’s first term, Berlin was a target of his ire for failing to meet the current NATO target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense, and Trump is now demanding at least 5% from allies. Seung Min Kim, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025 Hobbs’s veto drew the ire from conservatives and national security organizations, including Michael Lucci, the founder of State Armor Action. Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for ire

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ire was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ire. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

ire

noun
ire verb
ireful adjective
irefully
-fə-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on ire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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