outrage

noun

out·rage | \ ˈau̇t-ˌrāj

Definition of outrage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an act of violence or brutality arranged outrages and assassinations— Anthony West

2a : injury, insult do no outrages on silly women or poor passengers— William Shakespeare

b : an act that violates accepted standards of behavior or taste an outrage alike against decency and dignity— John Buchan

3 : the anger and resentment aroused by injury or insult Many people expressed outrage at the court's decision.

outrage

verb

outraged; outraging

Definition of outrage (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : rape

b : to violate the standards or principles of he has outraged respectability past endurance— John Braine

2 : to arouse anger or resentment in usually by some grave offense was outraged by the accusation

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about outrage

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for outrage

Verb

offend, outrage, affront, insult mean to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment. offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting. hoped that my remarks had not offended her outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings. outraged by their accusations affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy. deeply affronted by his callousness insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame. insulted every guest at the party

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There was outrage in the country over a November court ruling that would have forced customers, instead of banks, to pay the mortgage stamp duty, leading the government to quickly pass a law forcing banks to pay it instead. — Liz Hoffman, WSJ, "Santander Cancels Andrea Orcel’s Appointment as CEO Over Compensation," 15 Jan. 2019 Where was this outrage when Dr. Ford was testifying? — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Lindsey Graham rages in Kavanaugh hearing: “This is the most unethical sham”," 27 Sep. 2018 Photo: Chris Welch / The Verge When news broke this week that Verizon was slowing California firefighters’ data speeds during a wildfire crisis, there was a predictable outrage over the company’s actions. — Colin Lecher, The Verge, "Verizon says throttling firefighters wasn’t about net neutrality — was it?," 23 Aug. 2018 While the new artist sparked outrage amongst fans, her coach was quick to defend her with a passionate speech. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Kelly Clarkson Shocked Fans by Singing With a Controversial 'Voice' Star at Her Concert," 28 Jan. 2019 Hillary feigns outrage over Trump’s locker room trash talk. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Conservative Women Are Ok with Harassment," 26 Sep. 2018 The subsequent case sparked national outrage when the survivor published her court statement in full on BuzzFeed. — Irene Hsu, The New Republic, "The judge in the Brock Turner case has been recalled.," 6 June 2018 That decision sparked outrage among family members, friends and other community members on social media, The Salt Lake City Tribune wrote. — Josh Magness, kansascity, "Cops use stun gun on aggressive German Shepherd, video shows. Should it be euthanized? | The Kansas City Star," 19 May 2018 The trip was funded by a Holocaust memorial group, and King’s meeting with a party that has ties to neo-Nazis sparked outrage. — Ella Nilsen, Vox, "Republican Rep. Steve King hangs on to his seat, but just barely," 7 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Of course, the man’s new fans were outraged and blamed the pay cut on his looks. — Andrea Romano, ajc, "25-year-old airport employee gets pay cut after going viral for being hot," 27 Mar. 2018 Walmart became the target of Trump supporters outraged by a T-shirt sold on the company’s website, leading to calls for a boycott Tuesday. — Tory Newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Republican candidates in key Senate races struggle with Trump tariffs," 5 July 2018 That’s not how Jamal’s case is viewed by the thousands of Americans who’ve been outraged by the effort to deport him. — kansascity, "The U.S. government is in a hurry to deport Kansas chemist Syed Jamal | The Kansas City Star," 9 Mar. 2018 Broshears was also outraged by the onslaught of raids. — Eric Markowitz, Newsweek, "The Most Dangerous Gay Man in America Fought Violence With Violence," 25 Jan. 2018 Several of the women who came forward in the most recent exposé did so because they were outraged that Mr. Moonves might be so richly rewarded even in his disgraceful departure. — Elizabeth Winkler, WSJ, "CBS After Moonves," 10 Sep. 2018 All pay the ultimate price for outraging this dangerous octogenarian. — Tom Nolan, WSJ, "Mysteries: Tales to Warm a Cold Winter’s Night," 21 Dec. 2018 What ended up happening was, real people then join the conversation because they were outraged. — Recode Staff, Recode, "How bots amplify hoaxes and propaganda on social media," 2 Aug. 2018 You can be outraged and, as a community, we should be disturbed and concerned by the comments. — Emma Kate Fittes, Indianapolis Star, "Noblesville principal says he's 'appalled' by adults' reaction to teen in racist video," 23 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outrage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.