anger

play

noun an·ger \ ˈaŋ-gər \

Definition of anger

1 :a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism (see antagonism 1b)

You could hear the anger in his voice.

She found it hard to control her anger.

2 :rage 2

—

angerless

play \-ləs\ adjective

See anger defined for English-language learners

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Examples of anger in a Sentence

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 of anger from the Web

The anger at Monday night’s meeting, during which three people were arrested, forced the council to abandon its agenda and focus instead on the tragedy that surrounded the rally.

— sarah rankin, The Seattle Times, "Charlottesville votes to shroud statues after the violence," 22 Aug. 2017
The drag queen line, however, was worthy of some anger.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "A Congressional Censure of Trump Won't Help. We Need Mueller.," 18 Aug. 2017
City Council tabled a vote to approve Ryan Cos. as the developer for the Fifth Avenue project Tuesday after some council members expressed concern and anger over the process by which the company was chosen.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville council members question selection process of 5th Avenue developer," 16 Aug. 2017
Zuma's ties to the Gupta family, immigrant businessmen accused of trying to manipulate government leaders and state companies for financial gain, also have stirred public anger.

— krista mahr, chicagotribune.com, "South Africa's president faces crucial no confidence vote," 8 Aug. 2017
The reasons are legal, political, and personal—especially personal, and not simply because of Sessions’s anger at Trump’s recent barrage of attacks.

— chris smith, The Hive, "Why Jeff Sessions Can Tell Trump to Kiss His Ring," 26 July 2017
Simpson Took a Victim Empathy Class in Prison He also took an anger management class and coordinated a prison yard softball league.

— vanityfair.com, "O.J. Simpson’s Parole Hearing: The Biggest Surprises in the Sad Spectacle," 20 July 2017
Giving up on them spreads anger and poison around the world.

— The Economist, "Make monitors matter," 20 July 2017
Hardcore emotions like sadness, anger, stress, and even extreme happiness are processed in your body as a sign of danger, as if you were being chased by a bad guy or are about to be eaten by a bear.

— marygrace taylor, SELF, "This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Cry," 18 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of anger

Middle English, affliction, anger, from Old Norse angr grief; akin to Old English enge narrow, Latin angere to strangle, Greek anchein

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First Known Use: 14th century

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anger Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

delight, pleasure

Near Antonyms

calmness, forbearance, patience

Synonym Discussion of anger

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

anger

verb

Definition of anger

angered; angering play \-g(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

:to make (someone) angry

He was angered by the decision.

intransitive verb

:to become angry

a man who angers easily

See anger defined for English-language learners

Examples of anger in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of anger from the Web

This angered some of the locals, who believe the 130 million gallons the company currently pumps is already harming the environment.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "Why People Are Calling Poland Spring Water "A Colossal Fraud"," 18 Aug. 2017
Franklin’s death is part of a recent spate of fatal police shootings in the Kansas City area that has angered some community leaders.

— glenn e. rice, kansascity, "Police ‘shot him 13 times’ cousin says as community decries spate of officer shootings," 16 Aug. 2017
Something had angered him; the wound seemed personal.

— Longreads, "How a Journalist Uncovered the True Identity of Jihadi John," 16 Aug. 2017
Trump has created a fantasy world, is constantly angered by news depicting a different external reality than the one constructed for him, and must be coaxed to return to the fantasy one to prevent him from lashing out in anger.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "What If Trump Was Only President on Television?," 9 Aug. 2017
She's been unafraid to make decisions that have angered Rauner, including suspending funding the governor wanted to upgrade the state's aging technology systems.

— monique garcia, chicagotribune.com, "Rauner shouldn't delay borrowing money to pay Illinois' bills, comptroller says," 7 Aug. 2017
Dallas Cowboys defensive end David Irving has heard from plenty of fans on social media angered by his performance-enhancing drug suspension.

— drew davison, star-telegram, "Cowboys DE David Irving owns PED suspension, focused on season," 24 July 2017
In the wake of the The Post’s revelations in March, Sessions opted to recuse himself from the FBI’s Russia investigation—a decision that angered President Trump, a recent New York Times interview revealed.

— aria bendix, The Atlantic, "Sessions Discussed Campaign Matters With Russian Ambassador," 21 July 2017
A Hummer and a semi battling it out in a scary and dangerous case of road rage on a west Texas highway has angered the local sheriff and the video of the incident has gone viral.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Semi and Hummer play a scary game of cat and mouse in road rage incident," 19 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of anger

see ¹anger

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

anger Synonyms

Synonyms

enrage, incense, inflame (also enflame), infuriate, ire, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, steam up, tick off, get one's goat, rub the wrong way

Antonyms

delight, gratify, please

Related Words

affront, aggravate, annoy, burn (up), cross, exasperate, get, huff, irritate, miff, nettle, offend, peeve, pique, provoke, put out, ruffle, vex; antagonize, embitter, envenom

Near Antonyms

allay, assuage, relieve; comfort, console, soothe; appease, conciliate, mollify, pacify, placate; calm, lull, quiet, settle; beguile, bewitch, captivate, charm, disarm, enchant

ANGER Defined for English Language Learners

anger

play

verb

Definition of anger for English Language Learners

: to make (someone) angry

anger

noun

Definition of anger for English Language Learners

: 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