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rage

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun rage differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of rage are anger, fury, indignation, ire, and wrath. While all these words mean "an intense emotional state induced by displeasure," rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Where would anger be a reasonable alternative to rage?

The words anger and rage can be used in similar contexts, but anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

When can indignation be used instead of rage?

While in some cases nearly identical to rage, indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

In what contexts can ire take the place of rage?

While the synonyms ire and rage are close in meaning, ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

When is it sensible to use wrath instead of rage?

The synonyms wrath and rage are sometimes interchangeable, but wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

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 rage
Noun
Disgusted by everything, Lowen promises to expose the truth and steal Verity’s husband and career, ultimately showing Jeremy his wife’s confession and sending him into a fit of rage. — Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026 Here was my chance to get out of London, this counterfeit of death with its everywhere rage and its moribund culture and its smug population and its streets steeped in resentment and the sky pressing down like a chloroform rag. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
The department identified the deceased as a resident of Lancaster County, which is the epicenter of a raging outbreak that began in late April. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026 The surf was raging, completely enveloping the craft with only the swaying masts visible in the blackness of the night. — CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rage
Noun
  • Ella Langley spun the internet into a frenzy on Thursday night.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In June, the Knicks pulled off the impossible and won their first NBA championship in 53 years, sending the city into a frenzy of infectious energy.
    — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Investors are closely watching the government's next moves in a highly indebted country where street anger has often been tamed with more state spending.
    — Makini Brice, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Week six is now upon us, and with that, several data points are now available for prognosticators and experts alike to draw from and anger fans with in the process.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Milk & Honey Milk & Honey changed what a bar could be and how cocktails were crafted, setting off this century’s speakeasy craze.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Despite its short episode length, the show is designed for streaming services and even TV networks, but not microdrama platforms, having been created before the vertical video craze took off.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Brain disease in dogs and people Our work on aging dogs all began with a desire to develop better treatments for dementia.
    — Julie Moreno, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • However, among individuals who already had dementia, glucosamine users had a higher mortality compared to similar non-users.
    — Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The next day, the Colombian Army stormed the Palace and retook it, resulting in the deaths and disappearances of at least 94 people, including justices, guerrilla members, civilians and military personnel.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The two businesses, collectively known as CTU, recruited the Colombian commandos who were supposed guarding Sanon in Haiti but later stormed Moïse’s hillside residence above Port-au-Prince in the middle of the night.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Shawn, his parents, and the stranger were sitting around the dining table, their bowls of rice steaming before them, when the knock came.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • As America steams headlong into November, working-class folks are still at loggerheads with its political class.
    — Jim Beaugez, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring dozens of others in shooting rampage at the Fort Hood military base in 2009.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Sure, there’s more to the story — first published in 1974 as Stephen King’s debut novel — than its climax, but the title teen’s rampage at prom has become its defining image.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In the end, director Duong, recognizing Aunt Hanh’s residual indignation, lances that boil.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
  • But a new wave of indignation swept Spain when Abascal, who uses a wheelchair, was carried on a stretcher from her apartment after police cordoned off the street.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rage. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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