umbrage

Definition of umbragenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word umbrage distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of umbrage are dudgeon, huff, offense, pique, and resentment. While all these words mean "an emotional response to or an emotional state resulting from a slight or indignity," umbrage may suggest hurt pride, resentment, or suspicion of another's motives.

took umbrage at the offer of advice

When would dudgeon be a good substitute for umbrage?

Although the words dudgeon and umbrage have much in common, dudgeon suggests an angry fit of indignation.

stormed out of the meeting in high dudgeon

When could huff be used to replace umbrage?

The words huff and umbrage can be used in similar contexts, but huff implies a peevish short-lived spell of anger usually at a petty cause.

in a huff he slammed the door

When is offense a more appropriate choice than umbrage?

While the synonyms offense and umbrage are close in meaning, offense implies hurt displeasure.

takes deep offense at racial slurs

When can pique be used instead of umbrage?

The meanings of pique and umbrage largely overlap; however, pique applies to a transient feeling of wounded vanity.

in a pique I foolishly declined the invitation

When might resentment be a better fit than umbrage?

While in some cases nearly identical to umbrage, resentment suggests lasting indignation or ill will.

harbored a lifelong resentment of his brother

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 umbrage This Editorial Board took particular umbrage at the shady origins of the proposal. The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026 Aunt Fely, with her compliments and her contrived umbrage at the theatricality of my sartorial gesture, was only a minute away. Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026 The administration has failed to provide any evidence that the people killed in the attacks were attempting to bring drugs into the country, and legal experts have taken umbrage at the assertion that drug traffickers can be considered armed combatants. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026 But Verbeek did take a bit of umbrage with the notion that Sennecke should have been considered a surprise pick. Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for umbrage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for umbrage
Noun
  • Among agonized grunts and huffs, Probst narrated the fumbles.
    Sarah Grant, New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2026
  • David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.
    Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • But fights are just as integral to the Netflix show created by Lee Sung Jin, and the series’ sound team needed to do even more meticulous work building visceral senses of anger, stress, and dread that slowly swallow up the characters and steer them into making a compounding set of poor decisions.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
  • As Columbia, Rodriguez takes big, bold swings, shifting from manic exuberance to bruised vulnerability to feral anger over the course of the night.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Precision now saves you from rework and frustration later.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Towns raised his hands — calling for the ball — then dropped them in frustration.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Both are completely honest without fear of escalation or indignation.
    Mark Travers, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Surely there was something more beneath all this mild pleasantness, some edge of resentment, a few shards of indignation on the brink of cutting through.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • But as the years and resentments pile on, their cancerous brotherhood threatens to obliterate them both.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Lindsay-Abaire makes a real meal of sketching the rest of the neighborhood association, played by a bevy of nimble theatrical comedians, though their own simmering resentments tend to eddy alongside the central Kyra-Elliot conflict.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Beck is in a state of high dudgeon, because there’s a big shipment due and two of his drivers are AWOL.
    Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Close’s game, canny performance of reliving her own past couldn’t quite obscure the ungainliness of some of Webber’s songs, the dudgeon and occasional monotony of the sung-through score, or the strain of trying to generate plot friction in a story with only four major characters.
    Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Chase, meanwhile, gives Melissa a winning mix of exasperation and heart, making her emotional journey feel earned even amid the absurdity.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
  • For years, many Hungarian journalists have, privately at least, expressed exasperation with the state controls on their work.
    Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Inside the formula, castor oil, soybean oil, and panthenol leave hair smooth and shiny, while calming chamomile and calendula extracts keep your scalp irritation-free.
    Sarah Felbin, Allure, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe exited in the eighth with left wrist irritation.
    CBS News, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Umbrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/umbrage. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on umbrage

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