Definition of outragenext
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outrage

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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
Alex Pretti and Renee Good’s deaths sparked outrage across the country and led to mass protests in Minneapolis. Rebecca Schneid, Time, 13 July 2026 Even greater outrage arose than from the first attempt, with French police struggling to contain protests that rose to well over one million participants at their peak. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026
Verb
So why isn't the media outraged about it? Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026 Those leaders should be outraged, not celebrating the memorandum of understanding (MOU). Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for outrage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outrage
Noun
  • But for Wildmon and Buchanan, in-your-face avant-garde art was an insult to the average person, certainly the average American Christian.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Musk and Altman have repeatedly traded blows in recent years, mocking each other’s businesses and lobbing personal insults.
    Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Noun
  • Any suggestion that the hot hit of spice barely disguising a watery want of flavor was all too fitting a symbol for this phase in Madonna’s career would have been met with indignation.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Advertisements extending beyond traditional commercial breaks to include live presenter endorsements and real-time odds promotions have sparked a fresh wave of indignation, with politicians across the political spectrum calling for tighter controls.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • This will cause Defender to hang and keep a lock on the offending files that holds the entire disk space.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026
  • The murder rate usually rises and falls alongside other crimes, so through the 2010s, with property crime and overall youth offending dropping, criminologists expected the murder trend to follow suit.
    James Tuttle, The Conversation, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • The comments that could have potentially angered Adebayo stem from screenshots of an Instagram direct message conversation shared on X in recent days that show a profile seemingly run by Herro critiquing Adebayo.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
  • Neighbors feel less safe with ICE around The latest incident has angered the Latino community in Houston and has left others fearful.
    Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 10 July 2026
Noun
  • Widow’s Bay landed 19 nominations including for stars Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, in her incredible turn as eccentric assistant Patricia, Dale Dickey, for her chain-smoking sarcasm as Rosemary, and Stephen Root for his obstinate Wyck Crawford.
    Peter White, Deadline, 8 July 2026
  • Bluth family at the show's center, while Howard narrated the action with plenty of sarcasm.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • What instrument could be a more natural choice to express a profound sense of rage, angst, and uncertainty?
    Lawrence Burney, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026
  • When Claudia’s ghost rips into Louis and Lestat with a miasma of rage and despair, Anderson and Reid’s eyes search for each other across the room, reflecting the unexpected agony of this experience and the regret of putting Claudia through this.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • They’re infuriated with a military that turned out to repress civilian protests in recent years, but appeared slow to mobilize in support of earthquake victims this week.
    Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2026
  • The result can be a more consistent connection, fewer interruptions and less of that infuriating mid-episode quality drop.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • Widow’s Bay was nominated for 19 Emmys last week, an unusual honor for a series committed to bodily indignity.
    Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
  • For a historically proud people, that is an indignity and a humiliation.
    Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outrage. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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