anger 1 of 2

anger

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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
She is overwhelmed by anger and lust, an alchemical compound that can alter matter, energy, laws of physics. Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025 News of the arrest gave rise to anger, delight and disbelief. Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
In his final version of the incident, Tax told investigators that while outside the home, a man made a comment that angered him, and during an ensuing confrontation, Tax stabbed the man, Barber testified. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025 Following physical and emotional abuse, Lafferty became an anxious child who was constantly afraid of angering adults around her. Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for anger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anger
Noun
  • Carti’s idiosyncratic style helped birth a generation of rage rap artists, and his latest studio album, which spent three weeks atop the Billboard 200, could finally convince Grammy voters to give him his due.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025
  • In Los Angeles, my hometown, protests rage as ICE raids intensify — yet we’re still questioned for existing between survival and success.
    Sofía Pereda, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After Kibaki’s victory was declared, the president was inaugurated in a strange dusk ceremony that infuriated Odinga’s camp.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The attack infuriated Italy and Italians, who were upset that the United States didn't hold accountable those involved in the mob.
    Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Federal police in face masks and tactical gear have employed aggressive tactics in an effort to safely carry out arrests of criminals, prompting fury from community members and leading to blowback.
    Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Hell hath no fury like… an ex scorned?
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Laurene Allen, an environmental advocate who lives in Merrimack, New Hampshire, where PFNA was one of several forever chemicals discovered in drinking water in 2016, was awaiting the report and is frustrated and enraged by its delay.
    Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
  • As part of these reforms, the Royal Navy impounded dozens of merchant vessels for allegedly evading customs duties, enraging merchants as well as mariners, shipwrights, stevedores, and others in port cities whose livelihoods depended on foreign commerce.
    Time, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The footage sparked outrage and dismay across Israel.
    Itay Stern, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Swart also blamed major social-media platforms for monetizing outrage and accelerating polarization.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • He was annoyed when people advocated that.
    Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Some people may be annoyed with thousands of fake videos of themselves flooding the internet, but Paul seems to be amused by it.
    Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • McBride sets the political context for Swift’s savage indignation by noting that 1727–1729 saw three successive harvest failures in Ireland.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Passions run as high as style, and candor and fervor blend with humor, to endow anecdotes and reflections with pride and purpose along with mourning and indignation.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • When Hernán helps Julia and her young daughter, Maribel, navigate treacherous borderlands, their desperate journey triggers the wrath of a ruthless trafficking syndicate.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Tech CEOs lobbying Trump similarly risk the wrath of true believers in the administration who, quite simply, hate them.
    Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anger. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on anger

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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