anger

1 of 2

noun

an·​ger ˈaŋ-gər How to pronounce anger (audio)
plural angers
Synonyms of angernext
1
: a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism (see antagonism sense 1b)
You could hear the anger in his voice.
She found it hard to control her anger.
His mind had teemed with a hundred hurts and angers.—Irving Wallace
2
: a threatening or violent appearance or state : rage sense 2
the sea's anger
Suddenly it was swept by a strong gust of wind … . New thunder, new anger came rolling over their heads.—Rita Madocs
angerless
ˈaŋ-gər-ləs How to pronounce anger (audio)
adjective

anger

2 of 2

verb

angered; angering ˈaŋ-g(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce anger (audio)

transitive verb

: to make (someone) angry
He was angered by the decision.

intransitive verb

: to become angry
a man who angers easily

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for anger

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 anger in a Sentence

Noun He couldn't hide his anger with us. You could hear the anger in his voice. The group expressed its anger over the company's arrogance. He said that he had no anger towards the person who shot him. He never raised his voice in anger. She was shaking in anger. Verb They were shocked and angered by the company's arrogance. He was angered to learn that he had been fired. It angered me that she would say something like that. He's a gentle man who's not easily angered.
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
Then came the anger, hurt and all that goes with it. —R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024 This means asking them to let go of any anger and resentment toward you, but don’t force anything. —Hylke Faber, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
Since then Christie’s sold off Sly Stallone’s GMC, which seems to have angered Patek CEO Thierry Stern. —Sophie Furley, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024 Four years later, when their acting high priest left, Book was angered to be pressured into taking on his responsibilities without the ability to take on the title of High Priest. —Emma Cieslik, Them, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for anger 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English anger, angre "distress, affliction, hostile attitude, strong displeasure," borrowed from Old Norse angr "grief, vexation," going back to Germanic *angaza-, from an Indo-European s-stem *h2emǵh-es-/*h2emǵh-os- (whence Latin angor "suffocation, anguish," Sanskrit áṁhaḥ "anxiety, trouble," Avestan ązah-), derivatives of a verbal base *h2emǵh- "constrict, narrow," whence Latin angō, angere "to choke, cause pain to, afflict, vex," Greek ánchō, ánchein "to squeeze, strangle," Hittite ḫamanki "(s/he) ties, binds"; also from the base *h2emǵh- an adjective derivative *h2emǵh-u- "narrow," whence Germanic *angu- (> *angwu-, angwja-, whence Old English enge "narrow," ange "distressing," Old Saxon & Old High German engi "narrow," Old High German ango "anxious," Old Norse ǫngr, øngr, Gothic aggwus), Old Irish cumung "narrow," Welsh cyfyng, Old Church Slavic ǫzŭkŭ, Polish wązki, Armenian anjuk (Slavic & Armenian with a velar suffix), Sanskrit aṁhúḥ

Note: For other words formed from this Indo-European base see etymologies of angst entry 1, anguish entry 1, anxious, hangnail, quinsy.

Verb

Middle English angren "to be anxious, grieve, be vexed, irritate, afflict," probably in part derivative of anger, angre anger entry 1, in part borrowed from Old Norse angra "to grieve, vex," derivative of angr "grief, vexation"

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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

Phrases Containing anger

Dictionary Entries Near anger

angel-wing begonia

anger

Anger camera

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Anger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anger. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

anger

1 of 2 noun
an·​ger ˈaŋ-gər How to pronounce anger (audio)
: a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of opposition toward someone or something

anger

2 of 2 verb
angered; angering
-g(ə-)riŋ
: to make angry

More from Merriam-Webster on anger

Nglish: Translation of anger for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of anger for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anger

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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