outrage 1 of 2

1
2

outrage

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word outrage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of outrage are affront, insult, and offend. While all these words mean "to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment," outrage implies offending beyond endurance and calling forth extreme feelings.

outraged by their accusations

When can affront be used instead of outrage?

While in some cases nearly identical to outrage, affront implies treating with deliberate rudeness or contemptuous indifference to courtesy.

deeply affronted by his callousness

In what contexts can insult take the place of outrage?

The words insult and outrage can be used in similar contexts, but insult suggests deliberately causing humiliation, hurt pride, or shame.

insulted every guest at the party

When is offend a more appropriate choice than outrage?

In some situations, the words offend and outrage are roughly equivalent. However, offend need not imply an intentional hurting but it may indicate merely a violation of the victim's sense of what is proper or fitting.

hoped that my remarks had not offended her

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 outrage
Noun
Philippines ex-President Duterte arrested over war on drugs 01:20 His surprise arrest by Philippine police at the request of the ICC caused outrage among his army of supporters, who called it a kidnapping at the behest of a foreign court. Reuters, NBC news, 13 May 2025 Still, when my agent’s email came, my first reaction wasn’t outrage Instead, I was relieved. Catherine Baab, Quartz, 7 May 2025
Verb
Locals were outraged at the thought of losing access to their cherished ski hill. Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 4 Apr. 2025 President Donald Trump also has launched an agency review and cut funds for some FEMA grant programs, outraging officials in states where those funds already had been committed. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for outrage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outrage
Noun
  • People hurled insults as the police started taking down the barricades.
    Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 7 May 2025
  • Sarandos, playing a cheeky version of himself, delivers a sharp line about contractual award show shout-outs before signing off with an insult.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 May 2025
Noun
  • But there’s vulnerability buried in that sort of indignation.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
  • The feeling was one of indignation at the officiating and at UEFA, European football’s governing body.
    Pol Ballús, New York Times, 11 May 2025
Verb
  • Kaplan, the keeper of the NFLPA arbitration process, was clearly offended by France’s conduct.
    Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
  • The offending employees were moved to different cottages.
    Jeff Mcdonald, Mercury News, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • Apparently, Apple angered the US judge and the regulation behind it.
    Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
  • The English-for-truckers push has particularly angered me, though.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
Noun
  • Prosecutors say Read, 45, deliberately hit O’Keefe, 46, with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage and left him for dead in January 2022.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 May 2025
  • So there’s a lot of rage from that, and rightfully so.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • More: The infuriating ambiguity of 'fine' Broadhurst has since graduated from Oxford and is now pursuing a masters in forensic speech science at the University of York.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 22 May 2025
  • But the new textbooks have infuriated former government loyalists who defend their version of history.
    Simon Montlake, Christian Science Monitor, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • There’s tenderness and frustration, playfulness and sarcasm; respect and fatigue.
    Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
  • TikTok viewers chimed in with a mix of sarcasm, solidarity, and surprisingly creative suggestions.
    Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Future In Focus Shareholder fury: Max and Jake have been sniffing out what could happen to ITV, the UK broadcaster/producer whose future has been the subject of international gossip for quite some time now.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 May 2025
  • That fury gained public visibility after UnitedHealthcare's top executive, Brian Thompson, was shot and killed on a Manhattan street in December.
    Maria Aspan, NPR, 16 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outrage. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on outrage

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!