adjective
-
incensed with anger; furious
-
marked by extreme anger
an irate letter
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of irate
First recorded in 1830–40; from Latin īrātus, past participle of īrāscī “to be angry, get angry”; see irascible, -ate 1
Explanation
On the anger scale, first comes annoyed, then vexed, then irate. When cartoon characters are irate, they're so mad that smoke comes out of their ears. The first syllable of irate is ir for ire, related to the Greek word oistros which means "thing causing madness." An irate investor might sell all his or her stock in a company. Let's hope you thanked your aunt for the birthday check — otherwise you might get an irate phone call from her. When your mother is irate, you'd best get out of the way, and get busy cleaning your room.
Vocabulary lists containing irate
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Torres bounced around three locations over the next four days with his father, girlfriend, three parakeets, a dog and a turtle named Squirt while fielding calls from irate and scared residents.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
At Ford, many dealers are irate after the automaker scrubbed its lineup of all sedans and cheaper SUVs over the past few years.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Allan initially appeared willing to engage, but grew irate when he realized he was being videotaped.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Villa analyst Victor Manas urged Tindall to "show some respect" and "lose the finger" after the Newcastle number two repeatedly shushed a visibly irate Unai Emery at St James' Park.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
He jerked the reins, his eyes twinkling, as more cries came up from the irate inmates as they tried to disentangle their bodies in the carriage and settle themselves on the seats once more.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
