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

But his script for the 1971 movie The Hospital displayed a righteous sense of indignation at the way the American health-care system failed its practitioners and its patients. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026

The Editorial Board should save its righteous indignation for some other topic. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026

Many of the musicians and audience members belonged to a generation that’s often stereotyped as languishing in apathy and isolation—but whose indignation about the suffering in Gaza has far outpaced that of other generations. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026

Deadline can reveal the first trailer for the radical love story revolving around Suzanne and undocumented migrant Osmane, whose relationship provokes a wave of anger and indignation all around them, forcing them to resist. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026