furor

noun

fu·​ror ˈfyu̇r-ˌȯr 

-ər

1

: an angry or maniacal fit : rage

furor of the god of war

—Henry Fuseli

2

: fury sense 4

3

: a fashionable craze : vogue

her singing … made her the furor of Paris overnight

—Janet Flanner

4

a

: furious or hectic activity

confusion and furor within the Pentagon over research and development spending

—T. M. Bernstein

b

: an outburst of public excitement or indignation : uproar

Amid the furor, the senator continues to deny the allegations.

Synonyms

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• tumult
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of furor in a Sentence

The book caused a furor across the country.

Amid a public furor, the senator continues to deny the allegations.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Downey knew Michaels was absorbing his boss’s furor. —Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024

Get ready for a lobbying furor, because there’s suddenly a plausible, bipartisan, bicameral push to finally give the U.S. a comprehensive data-privacy law, going way beyond the protections for medical and children’s data that already apply country-wide. —David Meyer, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

That didn’t stop a furor from ensuing, especially online, where users dug in their heels, took sides, and screamed about the incident for about a week. —Sean Gregory, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

When a member of the community council proposed that area residents be consulted on whether to restore the statue, a furor erupted. —Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Recently, a furor erupted in Milwaukee Public Schools over new data showing that suspension rates were up -- particularly for African-American students. —Daniel Buck, National Review, 31 Mar. 2024

Given that the chapel has stood for half a millennium — the product of a 70-year construction project under four kings: Henry VI, VII and VIII, plus Richard III — the furor over the solar panels will end up being at most a transitory distraction. —Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024

By the time Taylor-Johnson came aboard with her husband in the lead role, Frey had long since apologized and the literary furor had died down, but so had most of the interest in the film, which received a modest independent release and middling reviews. —Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

The furor underlines the polarizing impact of attempts by legislators around the world to find a balance. —Leo Sands, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin, from furere to rage

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

furor

noun

fu·​ror ˈfyu̇r-ˌȯr 

-ˌōr

1

: fury sense 1, rage

2

: an outburst of excitement : uproar