Definition of outragenext
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
Under former Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD did not testify at a hearing on a controversial arm of the department in 2023, sparking huge outrage from the Council. Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2026 However, the true outrage should have been about the lack of a wispy moustache. Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
The Hitlerite hordes are murdering and outraging the peaceful inhabitants of our country, having no mercy on women, children or old people. Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026 The disaster left Boyle Heights wrapped in a cloud of severe odor, pest infestations and potentially toxic air, leaving the community outraged over ongoing cleanup delays. Gavin J. Quinton, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for outrage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outrage
Noun
  • Whether that’s a compliment or an insult depends on your perspective.
    Omar Kelly August 17, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The Fantasy Football Draft is that magical stretch of hours where friends, enemies and division nemesis all cram into one room to sling insults with the confidence of seasoned analysts.
    Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • On cue, China expressed indignation about anti-missile deployments.
    Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Mind you, Miss Manners agrees with your indignation at this fraudulent maneuver.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • Patterson indicated he wasn’t offended when the Dolphins signed Gonzalez as competition.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The question that has been most persistently posed by the press—whether M is based on Cusk’s real-life acquaintance Natalie Portman, who is reportedly offended by the implication—has an answer as obvious as the very line of inquiry is tedious.
    Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The White House had previously angered US ranchers by quadrupling low-tariff imports of Argentine beef to cool prices.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • During a joint practice last summer in Houston, Moehrig decked Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson on a hard but clean hit that angered a few of Hutchinson’s teammates.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Like all of Roth’s content, there is a mix of dead seriousness, dry sarcasm, and wondrous joy in equal measure.
    Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Buteau’s Coco makes off with a bit more meat on the bone, though her messy divorce, complicated relationship with her ex, and profound rage are too often leaned on as our Big!
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Symptoms range from feelings of rage or shame to thoughts of suicide.
    Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Georgia prosecutors have charged Deja Coleman, his mother, with second-degree murder, infuriating child safety advocates who say that hot car deaths are nearly always accidental and tragic.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Under its previous operator, Mountain View had been plagued by riots that drew negative press and infuriated locals.
    Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Hollywood can forgive a lot, but being beaten by ‘CatVideoFest’ is the sort of indignity that writes its own punchline.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez , Ashley Papa , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Moreover, because the Sears catalog did not racially discriminate, economic historians credit the catalog as a major tool for Black consumers to side-step the indignities and discrimination of Jim Crow commerce.
    Harold Pollack, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outrage. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on outrage

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster