anger 1 of 2

Definition of angernext

anger

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun anger differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of anger are fury, indignation, ire, rage, and wrath. While all these words 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

When could indignation be used to replace anger?

In some situations, the words indignation and anger are roughly equivalent. However, indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

In what contexts can ire take the place of anger?

The meanings of ire and anger largely overlap; however, ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

How do rage and fury relate to one another, in the sense of anger?

Both rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Where would wrath be a reasonable alternative to anger?

While the synonyms wrath and anger are close in meaning, wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of anger
Noun
In prosecutors’ telling, Ryan, fueled by his anger, intentionally killed his father-in-law, who was remembered by several friends as a principled and loving family man. Mark Morales, CNN Money, 14 May 2026 Yet this book is written more in sorrow than in anger. Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
Verb
The economic cost of the war is now palpable – with cell-phone data outages that regularly blight major cities angering even the pro-Putin bourgeoisie – adding to a sense of the war beginning to hit the urban elite, who until now were mostly isolated from the invasion’s impact. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 4 May 2026 Despite the apology, Camp Mystic’s plans to reopen in late May with nearly 900 girls have angered victims’ families, and state officials are questioning whether the license should be renewed. Jim Vertuno, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for anger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anger
Noun
  • High protein diets are all the rage nowadays—and for good reason.
    Sherri Gordon, Health, 15 May 2026
  • Ménochet is a scary wonder as Marc, a great bear of a man who is chillingly adept at hiding his rage and possessiveness under the guise of a gentle, enlightened ascetic.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • What was the song that infuriated the coach?
    Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
  • Still, even an unsuccessful appeal would let Democrats try to blame their failure on the conservative majority that dominates the nation's highest court, which has already infuriated the party and civil rights groups by neutering the Voting Rights Act.
    ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • That climaxes in a kaleidoscope of styles where Esteban, directing one scene, erupts in fury, reverting to a verbal and physical violence which Emilia obviously knew and suffered as child, Sorogoyen explains.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 16 May 2026
  • What’s that famous saying about hell hath no fury?
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2026
Verb
  • That change, which postponed the 2025 election to 2026, enraged some residents.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
  • The judge rejected the Suffolk District Attorney’s recommendation of 12 years and cut it in half, enraging prosecutors.
    Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • Our outrage, yours and mine, will not be to scale.
    Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026
  • For a Dodgers team already resented for buying up baseball with its massive payroll, watching its star closer stroll through a cockfighting pit in full uniform feels tailor-made to ignite outrage back home.
    Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • To Henry, this would have been for the greater good of English football, but the reaction was again one of anger and Henry was annoyed that the idea was killed off.
    Simon Hughes, New York Times, 1 May 2026
  • The non-meat use of the term came from the online chat room community, which by the late 1980s was already using it to denote a mass influx of data into their chat rooms that could trigger a computer crash and/or annoy chat room users.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Where is the indignation about this from politicians, community leaders and clergy?
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026
  • Rhys, long an expert at instilling indignation with soulful sentiment, gets pushed further here.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The party also drew an appearance by Roger Ailes, the Fox News Channel chief who had faced Foxman’s wrath over the conspiracy musings of one-time Fox personality Beck.
    Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
  • Although their relationship begins as a love story, the book brings home the profits of Jacob’s earlier brutality—fate catches up to him, and everything that is love and passion sort of spoils into wrath and obsession.
    The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anger. Accessed 18 May. 2026.

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