ire

1 of 2

noun

ˈī(-ə)r How to pronounce ire (audio)
Synonyms of irenext
: intense and usually openly displayed anger
ire transitive verb
ireful
ˈī(-ə)r-fəl How to pronounce ire (audio)
adjective

Ire

2 of 2

abbreviation

Ireland

Synonyms of ire

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for ire

anger, ire, rage, fury, indignation, wrath mean an intense emotional state induced by displeasure.

anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

Examples of ire in a Sentence

Noun He directed his ire at the coworkers who reported the incident. the patronizing comment from the snooty waiter roused her ire
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Many focused their ire on H-1B visas, which allow companies to recruit and hire foreign workers in specialized fields. —Sarah Bahari, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026 Senate Bill 106 has drawn ire from Republicans, who question why funding is going to Planned Parenthood when many hospitals in the state need more financial support. —Katie King contact feb. 11, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026 The result of a similar event contract on Polymarket also drew the ire of some users on that platform. —Jay Cohen, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026 This wasn't like in 2022 when former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer drew the Texas coaching staff's ire for comparing the Longhorns' style of play to the sport of rugby. —Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ire

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin ira; perhaps akin to Greek oistros gadfly, frenzy

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ire was in the 14th century

Rhymes for ire

See All Rhymes for ire

Browse Nearby Words

Ire
ire
Iredell
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ire. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

ire

noun
ˈī(ə)r How to pronounce ire (audio)
: anger entry 1
ire verb
ireful
-fəl How to pronounce ire (audio)
adjective
irefully
-fə-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on ire

Nglish: Translation of ire for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syllogism

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

What does 'etcetera' mean?

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names, Vol. 3

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

17 Words for Dog Breeds
See More

Popular

See More

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names, Vol. 3

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All