anger 1 of 2

noun

ˈaŋ-gər How to pronounce anger (audio)
Definition of angernext
as in indignation
an intense emotional state of displeasure with someone or something managed to stifle his anger when the receptionist put him on hold for the third time

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

anger

2 of 2

verb

as in to infuriate
to make angry it's virtually impossible to anger Mrs. Peterson—she's the most easygoing person I've ever known

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Grief, anger and headlines The first two-thirds of Graham’s book weave between intense memories of the shooting, its aftermath and historical context, both for his family and his home state of South Carolina. — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2025 If attacks come, Washington will feel pressure to respond—out of anger, to maintain credibility, or both. — William Walldorf, TIME, 7 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
  1. indignation
  2. infuriate
  3. outrage
  4. enrage
  5. rage
  6. annoy
  7. fury
  8. wrath
Noun
  • Vance’s speech spurred the Europeans to unite in their indignation.
    — Simon Shuster/Berlin, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
  • If Jude’s previous two fiction films were Molotov cocktails of indignation, his latest secretes a kind of scentless poison that gets at the banality with which social injustices are processed and rationalized.
    — Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025
Definition of indignation
Verb
  • Ford calls for export taxes on Canadian oil Trump’s trade war and his talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American national anthem at NHL and NBA games.
    — Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Tennis is an infuriating sport, and most players, amateur or professional, will have experienced flashes of self-loathing.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of infuriate
Noun
  • Press-freedom advocates expressed outrage and alarm.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2025
  • 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
Definition of outrage
Verb
  • That decision immediately enraged Venezuelans in South Florida who have temporary protections from deportation, who now fear they will be sent back to a nation that has suffered economic collapse under Maduro’s authoritarian rule.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025
  • During a town hall meeting on Thursday, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) met with hundreds of attendees enraged over his support for DOGE, which is run by Trump appointee Elon Musk.
    — Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Feb. 2025
Definition of enrage
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
Definition of rage
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
Definition of annoy
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
Definition of fury
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
Definition of wrath

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Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anger. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of anger for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anger

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