outrage

1 of 2

noun

out·​rage ˈau̇t-ˌrāj How to pronounce outrage (audio)
1
: an act of violence or brutality
arranged outrages and assassinationsAnthony West
2
a
: injury, insult
do no outrages on silly women or poor passengersWilliam Shakespeare
b
: an act that violates accepted standards of behavior or taste
an outrage alike against decency and dignityJohn Buchan
3
: the anger and resentment aroused by injury or insult
Many people expressed outrage at the court's decision.

outrage

2 of 2

verb

outraged; outraging

transitive verb

1
a
: rape
b
: to violate the standards or principles of
he has outraged respectability past enduranceJohn Braine
2
: to arouse anger or resentment in usually by some grave offense
was outraged by the accusation
Choose the Right Synonym for outrage

offend, outrage, affront, insult mean to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment.

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

outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

Examples of outrage in a Sentence

Noun Many people expressed outrage at the court's decision. Public outrage over the scandal was great. The rule is an outrage against women. This is an outrage! I won't allow this kind of behavior to continue. Verb His comments outraged nearly everyone in the room. the spiteful comment outraged her so much that she's still holding a grudge
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But the president's remarks have hardly quelled the brewing outrage. Emily Green, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 What drew outrage from U.S. industry is that five of the six companies subject to DMA regulation are headquartered in the United States: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google’s parent company Alphabet and Facebook’s parent company Meta. Eva Dou, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Henry and his allies say that the current insecurity would make a free and fair vote impossible, but such explanations do little to appease popular outrage. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Today's top stories: → Play cancellation, film crew visit spark outrage in Keller ISD → 6 people, 2 teens, injured in Arlington police pursuit of shooting suspect → Fort Worth nursing home hosted a weekly happy hour. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2024 Where was the outrage when each rate hike was approved? Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 The Carlton Tavern, a 1920s pub tucked away between newer buildings in London’s Maida Vale neighborhood, was also unceremoniously destroyed in 2015, igniting local outrage. Megan Specia, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Public officials expressed outrage and frustration Ald. Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 All of this month’s outrage has been cold comfort to transgender Utahns and their advocates, however. Karin Brulliard, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
The accusation of genocide — defined in international law as an attempt to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part — has outraged Israelis, who have told the court that their targets are not the people of Gaza but the Hamas militants who seek to eliminate Israel. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2024 The report on the investigation’s findings outlined what happened in the days leading up to the shooting, which outraged the Israeli public and intensified scrutiny of Israel’s military campaign. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 29 Dec. 2023 Unsurprisingly, the edict has outraged many folks in the 5.71-square-mile burgh. Samuel Braslow, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024 In the comments section of the video, many users were outraged by the hotel’s actions. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024 So when the pastor stood before the community and said that a demon had killed her — and that its work wasn’t yet done in São Miguel — Adelson was outraged by this outsider’s temerity. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 Trump's periodic threats have outraged foreign policy analysts who believe that Trump will destroy NATO if he's elected to a second term. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024 Multiple reports have linked the Suns to Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges as a potential candidate for Phoenix before the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline and a lot of people on social media are outraged by the idea. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 24 Jan. 2024 The company's fine for that repeat offense was $5,000, an amount that outraged some in the community. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outrage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French utrage, outrage insult, excess, from outre, utre beyond, from Latin ultra — more at ultra-

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of outrage was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near outrage

Cite this Entry

“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outrage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

outrage

1 of 2 noun
out·​rage ˈau̇t-ˌrāj How to pronounce outrage (audio)
1
: a violent or brutal act
2
: an act that hurts someone or shows disrespect for a person's feelings
3
: the angry feelings caused by injury or insult

outrage

2 of 2 verb
outraged; outraging
1
: to cause to suffer violent injury or abuse
2
: to cause to feel anger or resentment
Etymology

Noun

from early French outrage "an act of violence or brutality" from outre "beyond" (from Latin ultra "beyond") and -age "action"

Legal Definition

outrage

noun
out·​rage ˈau̇t-ˌrāj How to pronounce outrage (audio)
1
: a deeply offensive or violent act
2
: the tort of intentionally inflicting emotional distress

More from Merriam-Webster on outrage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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