anger 1 of 2

anger

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun anger differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of anger are fury, indignation, ire, rage, and wrath. While all these words 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

When could indignation be used to replace anger?

In some situations, the words indignation and anger are roughly equivalent. However, indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

In what contexts can ire take the place of anger?

The meanings of ire and anger largely overlap; however, ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

How do rage and fury relate to one another, in the sense of anger?

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

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Where would wrath be a reasonable alternative to anger?

While the synonyms wrath and anger are close in meaning, wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of anger
Noun
That was the start of us talking about male rage, our own anger, our own cruelty. Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025 Venting can fan the flames of anger by encouraging rumination, Stewart explains. Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
Court records show that he was allegedly angered by Trump with Musk. David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025 This apparently angered Henyard’s boyfriend, Kamal Woods, who is also named as a defendant in both lawsuits. Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anger
Noun
  • With love and loss, inspiration and indignation, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) is a folk tale, a small-town barroom yarn, a gothic novel, and a ghost story.
    Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Advertisement To put it mildly, the indignation is real but a remedy is missing. Lawmakers face a deadline at the end of the week to adopt a spending program or trigger a government shutdown.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Trump's economic war and annexation threats have infuriated Canadians.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The show also features breakout performances from Isa Briones, who plays the infuriating Dr. Trinity Santos, Gerran Howell as the bumbling student doctor Dennis Whitaker, and Taylor Dearden as the sensitive and quirky Dr. Melissa King.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • From multimillion-dollar fines to class-action lawsuits to public outrage, the consequences of mishandling tracking pixels are piling up fast.
    Jacques Nack, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Local news outlet 10 News First captured footage of her wildlife interference that sparked international outrage.
    Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The gallery owner, Mariana, is both despondent and enraged.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Justice denied Problems exposed in the unit have enraged victims and frustrated prosecutors and judges.
    Donna McGuire, Ian Cummings, and Glenn E. Rice, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Such avant-garde court designs certainly are the rage these days.
    Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
  • In these moments, an intense, nearly existential bewilderment sets in, usually followed by rage.
    Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • With Connecticut facing the possibility of exceeding the cap by $61 million, Lamont is reining in spending, annoying some liberal Democrats who note that the state is simultaneously looking at a budget surplus.
    Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Also keeping with that theme are tons of Marvel references to the point that Mara (who starred in 2015’s Fantastic Four) was likely getting annoyed.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In response, the right wing descended upon Mulvaney and Bud Light with a fury, with musician Kid Rock going so far as to post a video of himself repeatedly shooting a case of the beer with a gun.
    James Factora, Them, 17 Mar. 2025
  • This announcement was met with fury and fear among media and academic researchers—but praise among those of us who had watched this taxpayer rip-off continue for decades.
    William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Some of the wrath online was directed specifically at Sacks, who touted and backed various cryptocurrencies as a VC before joining the Trump administration, and whose firm, Craft Ventures, is an investor in crypto index fund manager Bitwise.
    Ari Levy,MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2025
  • How the process played out underscores how wary Republicans are of incurring Trump’s wrath only weeks into his administration.
    Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anger. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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