anger

noun

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an·ger | \ ˈaŋ-gər

plural angers

Definition of anger

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism (see antagonism sense 1b) You could hear the anger in his voice. She found it hard to control her anger. His mind had teemed with a hundred hurts and angers.— Irving Wallace

2 : a threatening or violent appearance or state : rage sense 2 the sea's anger Suddenly it was swept by a strong gust of wind … . New thunder, new anger came rolling over their heads.— Rita Madocs

anger

verb

angered; angering\ ˈaŋ-g(ə-)riŋ

Definition of anger (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make (someone) angry He was angered by the decision.

intransitive verb

: to become angry a man who angers easily

Other Words from anger Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Phrases Containing anger Learn More About anger

Choose the Right Synonym for anger

Noun

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 anger in a Sentence

Noun He couldn't hide his anger with us. You could hear the anger in his voice. The group expressed its anger over the company's arrogance. He said that he had no anger towards the person who shot him. He never raised his voice in anger. She was shaking in anger. Verb They were shocked and angered by the company's arrogance. He was angered to learn that he had been fired. It angered me that she would say something like that. He's a gentle man who's not easily angered. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Last Friday, President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency following skirmishes near the country's parliament, but public anger continues to escalate. — Hannah Ritchie, CNN, 10 May 2022 Lee, a former police officer, served as the secretary for security during the 2019 protests, overseeing the response from police that left the force’s reputation in tatters and fueled huge public anger. — Timothy Mclaughlin, The Atlantic, 8 May 2022 Even deaths on a smaller scale could ignite public anger. — Chris Buckley, New York Times, 1 May 2022 Hundreds of thousands have been infected and the city has forbidden residents from leaving their homes, to great public anger. — NBC News, 30 Apr. 2022 Beijing authorities are racing to prevent a repeat of the chaos, economic disruption and public anger caused by Shanghai’s severe lockdown, now entering its fifth week. — Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, 25 Apr. 2022 In contrast, China is sticking with Covid Zero and lockdowns, despite public anger and damage to the economy. — Betty Hou, Bloomberg.com, 18 Apr. 2022 Amid simmering public anger about the strict restrictions and mounting economic costs, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the country would stick to his zero-tolerance approach. — Yue Wang, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022 His rivals, now in power, face the no-less daunting task of assuaging public anger over inflation, while going to international lenders cap in hand in search of a new deal to service Pakistan’s debt. — Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The summit, which is held every three or four years, is being convened in the United States for the first time since its 1994 inaugural session, and the Biden administration’s decision is likely to anger several other countries. — Laura Blasey, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2022 Student loan forgiveness of any kind is likely to anger Republicans and some moderate Democrats. — Andrew Restuccia, WSJ, 3 May 2022 Critics caution that forgiving debt might anger voters who already paid off their loans, and Republicans describe the idea as a political giveaway in a midterm election year. — al, 30 Apr. 2022 Critics caution that forgiving debt might anger voters who already paid off their loans, and Republicans describe the idea as a political giveaway in a midterm election year. — Erin Prater, Fortune, 30 Apr. 2022 The move nevertheless will probably anger Russia, which has cited NATO’s expansion in Europe as a pressure point in its decision to invade Ukraine. — Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2022 Consumer price inflation surged to an annual 48.7% last month, the highest since April 2002, leaving the central bank in a tricky position where raising rates will anger Erdogan but cutting them will only add to runaway price increases. — Time, 3 Feb. 2022 And in any case, Europe will still have to live with Russia and won’t want to anger this ruthless giant forever. — Josef Joffe, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2022 The change of plans will also likely anger the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has urged state governments to embrace ‘living with the virus,’ once vaccination targets are reached. — Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'anger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for anger

Noun

Middle English anger, angre "distress, affliction, hostile attitude, strong displeasure," borrowed from Old Norse angr "grief, vexation," going back to Germanic *angaza-, from an Indo-European s-stem *h₂emǵ^h-es-/*h₂emǵ^h-os- (whence Latin angor "suffocation, anguish," Sanskrit áṁhaḥ "anxiety, trouble," Avestan ązah-), derivatives of a verbal base *h₂emǵ^h- "constrict, narrow," whence Latin angō, angere "to choke, cause pain to, afflict, vex," Greek ánchō, ánchein "to squeeze, strangle," Hittite ḫamanki "(s/he) ties, binds"; also from the base *h₂emǵ^h- an adjective derivative *h₂emǵ^h-u- "narrow," whence Germanic *angu- (> *angwu-, angwja-, whence Old English enge "narrow," ange "distressing," Old Saxon & Old High German engi "narrow," Old High German ango "anxious," Old Norse ǫngr, øngr, Gothic aggwus), Old Irish cumung "narrow," Welsh cyfyng, Old Church Slavic ǫzŭkŭ, Polish wązki, Armenian anjuk (Slavic & Armenian with a velar suffix), Sanskrit aṁhúḥ

Note: For other words formed from this Indo-European base see etymologies of angst entry 1, anguish entry 1, anxious, hangnail, quinsy.

Verb

Middle English angren "to be anxious, grieve, be vexed, irritate, afflict," probably in part derivative of anger, angre anger entry 1, in part borrowed from Old Norse angra "to grieve, vex," derivative of angr "grief, vexation"

Learn More About anger

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries Near anger

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Statistics for anger

Last Updated

14 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anger. Accessed 22 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for anger

anger

verb

an·ger | \ ˈaŋ-gər

angered; angering

Kids Definition of anger

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to make strongly displeased : make angry

anger

noun

Kids Definition of anger (Entry 2 of 2)

: a strong feeling of displeasure or annoyance and often of active opposition to an insult, injury, or injustice

Choose the Right Synonym for anger

Noun

anger, rage, and fury mean the feelings brought about by great displeasure. anger can be used of either a strong or a mild feeling. I was able to hide my anger. rage is used of strong violent feeling that is difficult to control. He was screaming with rage. fury is used of overwhelming rage that may cause a person to become violent. In their fury the people smashed windows.