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

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

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 change comes after years of frustration from the player base about the lack of availability for remote raids in certain features, with Gigantamax Battles in particular drawing significant ire due to their difficulty. —Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

But Trump imposed much greater duties on China, which has been the target of his trade ire. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 9 May 2025

Trump, Carney debate annexing Canada as 51st state in White House visit: live updates Tuesday, January 7: In a Mar-A-Lago news conference, Trump muses about annexing Canada, drawing immediate ire from then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 7 May 2025

Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, was a frequent target of Trump’s ire. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 6 May 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