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

While he’s drawn the ire of some segments of the Canucks fan base this season, which is understandable given the disappointing results and popgun offensive production this year, there’s no questioning the structural integrity that Tocchet’s Canucks have played with. —Thomas Drance, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

After the remnants of Hurricane Helene hit the Carolinas, Duke Energy drew the ire of Mountain Island Lake residents who say the company could have mitigated the flooding in their neighborhoods. —Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025

Why there's ire at the Postal Service Thousands of postal workers and their supporters rallied across the nation protesting proposals to dismantle the U.S. Postal Service over the long term and a USPS agreement to work with Elon Musk's team to trim 10,000 jobs in the next few weeks. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025

Thanks to his efforts to take a chain saw to the federal government through DOGE, Elon Musk has attracted a level of ire from left-wing activists that now rivals their level of hatred for President Trump. —The Editors, National Review, 24 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for ire

• dire
• lyre
• mire
• quire
• spire
• squire
• admire
• afire
• aspire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire

Kids Definition

ire

noun

ˈī(ə)r 

: anger entry 1

ire verb

ireful

-fəl 

adjective

irefully

-fə-lē

adverb