wrath

1
2

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun wrath differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of wrath are anger, fury, indignation, ire, and rage. While all these words mean "an intense emotional state induced by displeasure," wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

When can anger be used instead of wrath?

The words anger and wrath are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

When would indignation be a good substitute for wrath?

The synonyms indignation and wrath are sometimes interchangeable, but indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

When might ire be a better fit than wrath?

Although the words ire and wrath have much in common, 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 wrath?

Both rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Examples of wrath in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Blame the Fujiwhara effect Helene's explosive forecast one of the 'most aggressive' in hurricane history Florida and Georgia also saw Helene's wrath: See damage Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané Forbes, USA TODAY, 28 Sep. 2024 The community has only had days to clean up debris after Helene’s wrath — a process that would normally take months. NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024 The temperature of Gulf waters off the coast of the city of Cancun, which is expected to feel Milton’s wrath as early as 7:00 p.m. tonight, Oct. 8, is 86°F. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024 Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, has long faced Beijing’s wrath for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty and rejecting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s claims over the island. Nectar Gan, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wrath 

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

Thesaurus Entries Near wrath

Cite this Entry

“Wrath.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrath. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on wrath

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!