out·rage
ˈau̇t-ˌrāj 
1
: an act of violence or brutality
arranged outrages and assassinations—
Anthony West
Anthony West2
3
: the anger and resentment aroused by injury or insult
Many people expressed outrage at the court's decision.
outraged; outraging
1
a
: rape
b
: to violate the standards or principles of
he has outraged respectability past endurance—John Braine
John Braine2
: to arouse anger or resentment in usually by some grave offense
was outraged by the accusation
Synonyms
Examples of outrage in a Sentence
Noun
Many people expressed outrage at the court's decision.
Public outrage over the scandal was great.
The rule is an outrage against women.
This is an outrage! I won't allow this kind of behavior to continue.
Verb
His comments outraged nearly everyone in the room.
the spiteful comment outraged her so much that she's still holding a grudge
See More
Recent Examples on the WebMinyvonne Burke, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2023
When Austria two decades ago became the first nation in Western Europe to lurch to the far right since World War II, the rest of the continent roared in outrage.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
The Vegas relocation plan has incited outrage even among those in the Bay Area who don’t claim themselves passionate A’s fans.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023
Meanwhile, several agents at UTA have expressed outrage internally over a recent open letter spearheaded by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and believe he should be dropped from the agency’s roster.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
Fans and politicians reacted to her death with outrage, speculating it was linked to extreme heat.
—Diane Jeantet, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023
Cox’s pleas for help were mocked and dismissed; that was captured on video, and public outrage ensued.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023
Those images were barely censored before being shown to American audiences, and prompted outrage at home.
—Natasha Frost Maud Bodoukian Meyrant, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
But, otherwise, the Con betrayed little in the way of moral outrage.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
Kerry J. Byrne Fox News, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2023
Then there are Muslim Thai Malays in the south who are outraged by the killing of civilians in Gaza.
—Christopher Cottrell, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was opened to drilling under President Donald J. Trump, a move that outraged environmentalists and overturned six decades of protections for the area, the largest remaining stretch of untouched wilderness in the United States.
—Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023
The first wrongful conviction that outraged Dennis Muñoz was his own.
—Nelson Rauda Zablah, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Oct. 2023
The Egyptian public is outraged by the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza and the potential ground offensive.
—Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2023
Larry Summers, a former Harvard president, said he was outraged by Harvard’s initial silence after more than 30 student groups issued a statement blaming the attack on Israel and not Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.
—Janet Lorin, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2023
Lucille Ball Fans of the late comedy icon were outraged by a bronze sculpture that was created to honor Ball in her hometown of Celoron, New York.
—Alex Heigl, Peoplemag, 17 Oct. 2023
Others are from people who did not attend but were no less appalled, and outraged, that such boorish behavior took place at the expense of so many.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2023
See More
Noun
Cellphone video showing two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies restraining and punching an amputee has sparked outrage and demands for answers.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2023
When Austria two decades ago became the first nation in Western Europe to lurch to the far right since World War II, the rest of the continent roared in outrage.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
The Vegas relocation plan has incited outrage even among those in the Bay Area who don’t claim themselves passionate A’s fans.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023
Meanwhile, several agents at UTA have expressed outrage internally over a recent open letter spearheaded by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and believe he should be dropped from the agency’s roster.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023
Fans and politicians reacted to her death with outrage, speculating it was linked to extreme heat.
—Diane Jeantet, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023
Cox’s pleas for help were mocked and dismissed; that was captured on video, and public outrage ensued.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 18 Nov. 2023
Those images were barely censored before being shown to American audiences, and prompted outrage at home.
—Natasha Frost Maud Bodoukian Meyrant, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023
But, otherwise, the Con betrayed little in the way of moral outrage.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
Verb
The delegation from Israel was also outraged by a shocking indignity immediately after the interview outside Central Synagogue in Manhattan.
—Kerry J. Byrne Fox News, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2023
Then there are Muslim Thai Malays in the south who are outraged by the killing of civilians in Gaza.
—Christopher Cottrell, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Nov. 2023
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was opened to drilling under President Donald J. Trump, a move that outraged environmentalists and overturned six decades of protections for the area, the largest remaining stretch of untouched wilderness in the United States.
—Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023
The first wrongful conviction that outraged Dennis Muñoz was his own.
—Nelson Rauda Zablah, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Oct. 2023
The Egyptian public is outraged by the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza and the potential ground offensive.
—Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2023
Larry Summers, a former Harvard president, said he was outraged by Harvard’s initial silence after more than 30 student groups issued a statement blaming the attack on Israel and not Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.
—Janet Lorin, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2023
Lucille Ball Fans of the late comedy icon were outraged by a bronze sculpture that was created to honor Ball in her hometown of Celoron, New York.
—Alex Heigl, Peoplemag, 17 Oct. 2023
Others are from people who did not attend but were no less appalled, and outraged, that such boorish behavior took place at the expense of so many.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outrage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French utrage, outrage insult, excess, from outre, utre beyond, from Latin ultra — more at ultra-
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of outrage was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near outrage
Cite this Entry
“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outrage. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
outrage
1 of 2 noun
out·rage
ˈau̇t-ˌrāj
1
: a violent or brutal act
2
: an act that hurts someone or shows disrespect for a person's feelings
3
: the angry feelings caused by injury or insult
outrage
2 of 2 verb
outraged; outraging
1
: to cause to suffer violent injury or abuse
2
: to cause to feel anger or resentment
Etymology
Noun
from early French outrage "an act of violence or brutality" from outre "beyond" (from Latin ultra "beyond") and -age "action"
Legal Definition
outrage
noun
out·rage
ˈau̇t-ˌrāj
1
: a deeply offensive or violent act
2
: the tort of intentionally inflicting emotional distress
More from Merriam-Webster on outrage
Nglish: Translation of outrage for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of outrage for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share