Synonyms of indignation

indignation

noun

ˌin-dig-ˈnā-shən 

as in anger

an intense emotional state of displeasure with someone or something

their indignation at the offensive television show led them to start a grassroots campaign for its cancellation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• anger
• outrage
• fury
• wrath
• rage
• mood
• irritation
• wrathfulness
• exasperation
• ire
• contempt
• resentment
• irritability
• madness
• jealousy
• bitterness
• annoyance
• hostility
• furor
• spleen
• choler
• mad
• temper
• angriness
• slow burn
• malice
• grudge
• lividity
• outburst
• animosity
• birse
• venom
• envy
• irateness
• enmity
• antagonism
• spite
• vexation
• lividness
• bile
• antipathy
• rancor
• embitterment
• aggravation
• vindictiveness
• acrimony
• vitriol
• vengefulness
• malevolence
• pique
• biliousness
• pugnacity
• belligerence
• virulence
• jaundice
• irascibility
• heat
• dudgeon
• crankiness
• contentiousness
• warmth
• contrariness
• querulousness
• quarrelsomeness
• delirium
• pugnaciousness
• huff
• flare
• orneriness
• acrimoniousness
• dander
• pet
• hot-headedness
• road rage
• passion
• rise
• blowup
• empoisonment
• ruffle
• disputatiousness
• chafe
• irascibleness
• air rage
• flare-up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pleasure
• delight
• patience
• forbearance
• calmness

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun indignation differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of indignation are anger, fury, ire, rage, and wrath. While all these words mean "an intense emotional state induced by displeasure," indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

When can anger be used instead of indignation?

The synonyms anger and indignation are sometimes interchangeable, but anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

When could ire be used to replace indignation?

The words ire and indignation are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

How are the words rage and fury related as synonyms of indignation?

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

shook with rage

could not contain his fury

When is it sensible to use wrath instead of indignation?

While the synonyms wrath and indignation 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

Recent Examples of indignation

Many expressed indignation that a climate-friendly clothing brand would appear to go after a beloved climate activist. — Brittany Peterson, Fortune, 12 June 2026

Others use their out-of-office emails to either apologize profusely for time away or highlight their indignation at being tied to work or the internet in the first place. — Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026

My earliest World Cup memory—a six-year-old’s spiral of indignation and despair—is of Diego Maradona’s dastardly Hand of God, which eliminated England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 edition, in Mexico. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Instead of righteous indignation there’s been relative silence, or even worse, endorsement. — Ben Bayer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026