outrage 1 of 2

Definition of outragenext
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outrage

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word outrage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of outrage are affront, insult, and offend. While all these words mean "to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment," outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

When can affront be used instead of outrage?

While in some cases nearly identical to outrage, affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

In what contexts can insult take the place of outrage?

The words insult and outrage can be used in similar contexts, but insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

When is offend a more appropriate choice than outrage?

In some situations, the words offend and outrage are roughly equivalent. However, offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting.

hoped that my remarks had not offended her

How is the word outrage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of outrage are affront, insult, and offend. While all these words mean "to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment," outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

When can affront be used instead of outrage?

While in some cases nearly identical to outrage, affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

In what contexts can insult take the place of outrage?

The words insult and outrage can be used in similar contexts, but insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

When is offend a more appropriate choice than outrage?

In some situations, the words offend and outrage are roughly equivalent. However, offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting.

hoped that my remarks had not offended her

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 outrage
Noun
Student groups expressed outrage because, at the time, a nationwide Taco Bell boycott was underway to pressure the restaurant to improve the wages and working conditions of its tomato pickers. Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 26 Mar. 2026 But the change sparked outrage among some parkgoers, who said the other devices weren’t medically appropriate for them and were costly to rent at SeaWorld and the other parks. Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Madison Mounty, director of Government Relations and Advocacy at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a national Jewish Human Rights organization, said all New Yorkers should be outraged by the graffiti. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026 The reaction from Catholics around the world varied from disquiet to outrage. Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for outrage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outrage
Noun
  • Laughs and insults, all expressed at a high volume, were guaranteed to follow.
    Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The fan repeatedly shouted insults at Punk while pledging allegiance to Reigns.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Surely there was something more beneath all this mild pleasantness, some edge of resentment, a few shards of indignation on the brink of cutting through.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
  • To his astonishment — and culinary indignation — the screen returned an absolute void.
    Paula Soria, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Prosecutors said messages in the group chat along with the fact that the Pawula sent the texts to Rita, Chad Salefski and other family and friends of Rita and Salefski showed they were intended to offend the two political candidates.
    Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
  • For a man behind a franchise that’s known for platforming outspoken women, Andy Cohen sure seems offended by Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s criticism of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Or simply anger that any parent would have to suffer the agony of having a missing child.
    Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
  • The first major nationwide protests against the Islamic regime began in June 2009, with demonstrators angered by the fraudulent presidential election.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Goldberg responded with open sarcasm and frustration.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
  • That’s a heavy dose of sarcasm for those who overreacted to Judge’s first few at-bats of a long, grueling season.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • That rage drove her away from King’s politics of nonviolence and toward a more militant ideology.
    Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Curled, effortless updos have been all the rage lately, from Kerry Washington and LaTanya Richardson Jackson to Olandria Carthen.
    Essence, Essence, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The plaintiffs’ lawyers also have complained that delays infuriate their clients, who expect higher payouts as cases drag on.
    Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
  • The liberal Democratic governor, whose strict gun control measures have long infuriated gun owners, this week filed a bill to allow Sunday hunting and expand crossbow hunting, long overdue moves that aimed to shore up one of her biggest weaknesses in an election year.
    Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Ramaphosa said most European countries must do more to acknowledge the indignity suffered by Africans through colonialism and consider paying reparations to their former colonies.
    Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Mostly, Stanton’s sense of her own virtues made her bristle at all the great and petty indignities that characterized her place as a woman.
    Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outrage. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

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