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

• indignation
• anger
• wrath
• outrage
• fury
• rage

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

Sophie Cunningham drew the ire of the league twice for criticizing officials. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2025

Dallas snapped a five-game losing streak with a controversial 81-80 win over the Indiana Fever in which the referees drew the ire of the Fever coaching staff. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025

The fan ire is rooted in the team’s poor form — prior to the win against DC United, the Revolution had taken one win from their last 14. —Julian Cardillo, Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2025

The source of the president’s ire was a Goldman note over the weekend, authored by economist Elsie Peng, asserting that while exporters and businesses thus far have absorbed most of Trump’s tariffs, that burden will switch in the months ahead to consumers. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 13 Aug. 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