wrathful

adjective

wrath·​ful ˈrath-fəl How to pronounce wrathful (audio)
 chiefly British  ˈrȯth-
1
: filled with wrath : irate
2
: arising from, marked by, or indicative of wrath
wrathfully
ˈrath-fə-lē How to pronounce wrathful (audio)
 chiefly British  ˈrȯth-
adverb
wrathfulness noun

Examples of wrathful in a Sentence

in a wrathful voice she demanded to know what had happened
Recent Examples on the Web Watch No Exit on Hulu 22 of 30 No One Will Save You Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) is satisfied with living a solitary life in her childhood home, until her residence is intruded by wrathful extraterrestrials. Lia Beck, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024 These concessions might make Hamas even stronger, however, and a wrathful Israel is less likely than ever to be willing to take such chances. Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2023 The New York judge presiding over one of Donald J. Trump’s criminal trials imposed a gag order on Tuesday that prohibits him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors and jurors, the latest effort to rein in the former president’s wrathful rhetoric about his legal opponents. William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024 That 1991 platform worried both Washington and many of the island’s voters, who then and now, have shunned any move toward formal independence, fearing a wrathful reaction from Beijing. Amy Chang Chien Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wrathful 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrathful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrathful was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near wrathful

Cite this Entry

“Wrathful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrathful. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

wrathful

adjective
wrath·​ful ˈrath-fəl How to pronounce wrathful (audio)
1
: filled with wrath : very angry
2
: showing wrath
a wrathful expression
wrathfully adverb
wrathfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wrathful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!