anger 1 of 2

anger

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun anger differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of anger are fury, indignation, ire, rage, and wrath. While all these words 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

When could indignation be used to replace anger?

In some situations, the words indignation and anger are roughly equivalent. However, 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 anger?

The meanings of ire and anger largely overlap; however, ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

How do rage and fury relate to one another, in the sense of anger?

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

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Where would wrath be a reasonable alternative to anger?

While the synonyms wrath and anger are close in meaning, 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 anger
Noun
Perhaps the impulse to label these predictable culture-war moments as discourse reflects a need to make all the anger and fighting mean something. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 30 July 2025 The political right has been adept at transforming class anger into opposition to elites defined not by wealth, but by cultural capital — professors, journalists and coastal technocrats. Chris Reed, Oc Register, 30 July 2025
Verb
Judge Thomas Kirsch dissented, saying there was nothing in the record to suggest Blank's decision was made to avoid angering boosters. Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 16 July 2025 The group invited those angered by rollbacks on things such as voting rights, essential services and free speech to join them July 17, the fifth anniversary of Lewis’ death. Charlotte Observer, 17 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for anger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anger
Noun
  • The truth is, 2025 has been an anger-inducing experience for so many people that a simmering rage has been building all year.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 31 July 2025
  • This has unintended consequences when both Batel and Spock share a vision that sends Spock into a berserk rage.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 July 2025
Verb
  • The reversal served to infuriate Patrick, who presides over the Senate, and several lawmakers who accused Mindell of misleading them with his statements to the Finance panel.
    John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, handed off pieces of the regulatory apparatus to allies of his primary competitor Elizabeth Warren, producing a domestic policy that pleasantly surprised his party’s left and infuriated American business leaders.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 July 2025
Noun
  • No matter how much American Presidents have come to resent Netanyahu—Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump have all had their moments of fury with him—none have doubted the presence or the peril of the Iranian nuclear program.
    David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
  • When the guys kicked open the door, they were greeted with 900 pounds of mean Missouri fury.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2025
Verb
  • In 1995, when the Premier League was in its infancy and transfer fees were tiny in comparison to today, Newcastle United, serious title contenders, enraged their supporters by selling leading goalscorer Andy Cole to Manchester United for £6million plus winger Keith Gillespie.
    Steve Madeley, New York Times, 24 July 2025
  • The prospect of seeing the Sussexes at royal events would enrage the monarchy’s loyal supporters.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • After a two-year spike during the pandemic and national outrage over police accountability, Chicago began to see a decline in homicides in 2022.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
  • Trump's demand for nearly 10 times that -- along with the threats that the U.S. might pull its troops from the country -- has previously drawn widespread outrage in the country, spurring calls by some for the development of South Korea's own nuclear arsenal.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • That acquisition annoyed shareholders and customers alike, with investors taking issue with the fact that it was structured to avoid a vote.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 25 July 2025
  • However, in addition to the controversy over self-grading the results, OpenAI also annoyed the IMO community because its Saturday announcement appears to have violated the embargo agreement with the International Mathematical Olympiad.
    Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2025
Noun
  • At the heart of Nugent’s indignation was the 2021 sting operation that entangled him and three other landowners in a legal battle with the DNR.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2025
  • That indignation, those headlines, the praise for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s bravery and leadership cooling dramatically since those early days–in Europe and America.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • Anyone who dared challenge the prevailing narrative faced the wrath of a ravenous cancel culture.
    David Oliver, USA Today, 22 July 2025
  • That patience has only earned Powell the president’s wrath.
    Paolo Confino, Fortune, 16 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anger. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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