anger

noun

an·ger | \ ˈaŋ-gər

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.

2 : rage sense 2

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 Learn More about anger

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Synonyms & Antonyms for anger

Synonyms: Noun

angriness,
birse
[chiefly Scottish],
choler,
furor,
fury,
indignation,
irateness,
ire,
lividity,
lividness,
mad,
madness,
mood
[archaic],
outrage,
rage,
spleen,
wrath,
wrathfulness

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Noun

delight,
pleasure

Antonyms: Verb

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Bessemer Police Chief Mike Roper in March expressed concern and anger of the surge in violence. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "Violent weekend leaves 3 dead in Bessemer," 5 Apr. 2021 Although the streets are largely empty of protests, there's long-simmering anger bubbling beneath the surface, and angry calls for justice and reform echo across the city, particularly in the neighborhood where Floyd died. — Eric Ferkenhoff, USA TODAY, "Derek Chauvin trial live updates: After an emotional first week for witnesses, testimony resumes Monday," 5 Apr. 2021 Some survivors and relatives of the dead have shown more grief than anger. — Amy Qin, Star Tribune, "Taiwan crash investigators focus on how truck fell in train's path," 4 Apr. 2021 The report nonetheless caused anger on Capitol Hill and among Republican governors, who have long cast the idea as a threat to freedom, regardless of whether it’s implemented by a government or by a business. — Lev Facher, STAT, "Resistance from health experts and business owners could doom ‘vaccine passports’ even before they launch," 3 Apr. 2021 In Georgia, anger erupted from the Atlanta Braves — the team that would have played host to the game — and from state officials. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, "MLB moves All-Star game out of Atlanta in response to new Georgia voting law," 2 Apr. 2021 Now, as the first trial in George Floyd's death is underway, an official U.K. report on racial inequality that was ordered in its wake has triggered fresh anger and demands for change. — NBC News, "Report launched after George Floyd protests suggests U.K. isn't racist. Many disagree.," 1 Apr. 2021 The live-action category is especially strong this year, full of passion and political anger that has been successfully transmuted into drama. — BostonGlobe.com, "Features? Forget about them," 31 Mar. 2021 Rent-a-quote politicians stirring fear and anger about the issue are not doing much to help. — Stephen Collinson And Richard Greene, CNN, "America's next Covid-19 culture war is here," 31 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb However, its release appeared to anger Indian authorities. — Jessie Yeung, CNN, "Indian climate activist Disha Ravi speaks for first time since her arrest," 14 Mar. 2021 But while all eyes will now be on the trade agreement, there are also other ways lawmakers on the continent could respond that would anger China. — James Griffiths, CNN, "Could China's aggressive Xinjiang sanctions counter-punch risk alienating the European Union?," 23 Mar. 2021 Forcing companies to carry all speech will anger the Left and libertarians. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, "Putting the Grift in ESG," 20 Mar. 2021 Drug prices continue to anger many people and the tribal political atmosphere may take years to repair. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "By looking the other way, pharma money helped fuel a toxic political atmosphere in the U.S.," 12 Feb. 2021 The actions on Taiwan and Hong Kong will undoubtedly anger China, which views such moves as foreign interference in its internal affairs. — Fox News, "US joined by Australia, UK and Canada in criticizing Hong Kong mass arrests," 10 Jan. 2021 Caught in the middle are multinational banks, which are bound to the U.S.-dominated financial system but can’t afford to anger an increasingly antagonistic Beijing because of the size of the Chinese market. — David Pierson, Los Angeles Times, "China freezes pastor’s bank account in Hong Kong clampdown," 16 Dec. 2020 Rewarding him with additional leadership roles may anger those who Burrows targeted and their allies. — James Barragán, Dallas News, "After targeting GOP lawmakers in elections, can Dustin Burrows find redemption in the Texas House?," 11 Dec. 2020 Berkowitz stopped short of an explicit defense pledge, but his comments likely will anger a Chinese Communist regime that routinely pressures countries not to recognize Taiwan as a legitimate government. — Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, "US affirms 'Taiwan's freedom and independence' despite China's sovereignty claims," 27 Nov. 2020

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, 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"

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Learn More about anger

From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

Dictionary Entries near anger

Statistics for anger

Last Updated

8 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anger. Accessed 14 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for anger

anger

noun

English Language Learners Definition of anger

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a strong feeling of being upset or annoyed because of something wrong or bad : the feeling that makes someone want to hurt other people, to shout, etc. : the feeling of being angry

anger

verb

English Language Learners Definition of anger (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make (someone) angry

See the full definition for anger in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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.