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
The video was set to an upbeat Haitian song, its imagery prompting outrage and condemnation from Haitians and immigrant rights activists. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026 An upcoming pay cut for some nurses at Grady Health System is prompting outrage online and providing a window into how Georgia’s largest safety-net hospital is weathering major policy changes in Washington. Tamar Hallerman, AJC.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
In Miami, Mayor Carlos Alvarez was recalled and overwhelmingly voted out of office in 2011 due to outrage over his public funding of a controversial new Marlins stadium. Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2026 Bigger, Longer & Uncut, in which the flatulent Canadian comedians Terrance and Phillip outrage the parents of South Park with their foul-mouthed hit comedy Asses of Fire. Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for outrage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outrage
Noun
  • Not only did the boycott fail to keep the company from slapping its Black customers in the face with its Jim Crow costume, but the insult happened with two Black men on the company’s board of directors.
    Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This much was clear from the insults continually traded between the two sets of fans.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Cancer Rising September begins with you very much waking up on the wrong side of the bed, but your indignation might just be the thing that saves you in the end.
    Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • On cue, China expressed indignation about anti-missile deployments.
    Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is standing just steps away from the mayor at the ceremony, said that Mamdani’s presence would offend him.
    Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • For that, their game — analyzing randomness and violence and doing so without offending our intelligence — has become as important to the American audience as The Game.
    Candace Buckner, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But Trump’s solution, to import 300,000 metric tons of beef and sell it at a reduced cost, angered American ranchers.
    Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Rebecca regrets angering Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn) after putting his daughter in the middle of a heated discussion around the possibility of Matthijs moving to London.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • As Troy, his signature wide-eyed, guileless delivery of sarcasm is a first line of defense that softens as his understanding of the Russian people, including his companion, grows.
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The other presidents had some semblance of comedic appreciation, whether through cynicism, irony, sarcasm, joke-telling, joke appreciation or storytelling.
    John Blumenthal, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Related 'Ask Us Anything' Stories Do rage workouts really help to blow off steam?
    Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Once the two men start working together, the combination of Ploughman’s crushing grief and Tyler’s populist rage illustrates the two factors that shaped the revolt.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The targeting designation infuriated KU coach Lance Leipold, who was asked about the flag after a game in which the defense held the Sharks to 146 yards and 11 first downs.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The White House’s abrupt decision last week to ease tariffs on 300,000 metric tons — more than 660 million pounds — of foreign beef imports has infuriated American cattle ranchers and congressional Republicans alike.
    Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Alas, by disguising themselves in earthling form, these superior beings must submit themselves to the worst indignities of the human condition — namely the frequent need to go to the bathroom and the constant nuisance of dealing with emotions.
    Cortlyn Kelly, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026
  • There are hints of George Saunders in McBride’s ability to turn the indignities of modern life into a gently devastating black comedy.
    T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outrage. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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