ire

1 of 2

noun

ˈī(-ə)r 

: intense and usually openly displayed anger

ire transitive verb

ireful

ˈī(-ə)r-fəl 

adjective

Ire

2 of 2

abbreviation

Ireland

Synonyms

Noun

• indignation
• anger
• wrath
• outrage
• fury
• rage

Choose the Right Synonym for ire

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 ire in a Sentence

Noun

He directed his ire at the coworkers who reported the incident.

the patronizing comment from the snooty waiter roused her ire

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The safeties took the brunt of some of the social media ire, and for the most part, the criticism was deserved. —Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025

Trump caused ire in Ethiopia at the time by suggesting Egypt wouldn't stop at anything to get rid of the dam. —Kate Bartlett, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025

Potential DATs knew that drawing the ire of a hostile, anti-crypto regulator was an obvious road to failure. —Christopher Perkins, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Trading a whodunit for a slow-motion train wreck about an endearing criminal whose very, very bad decisions inspire the ire of a vicious biker gang and the titular task force, Task stars Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones and Silvia Dionicio. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin ira; perhaps akin to Greek oistros gadfly, frenzy

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ire

• dire
• lyre
• mire
• quire
• spire
• squire
• admire
• afire
• aspire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire

Kids Definition

ire

noun

ˈī(ə)r 

: anger entry 1

ire verb

ireful

-fəl 

adjective

irefully

-fə-lē

adverb