adjective
-
incensed with anger; furious
-
marked by extreme anger
an irate letter
Other Word 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.
That triggered some irate phone calls to the institute’s outside general counsel, George Foote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
In a poll released earlier this summer, the Brennan Center found voters are increasingly irate over corruption in government.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Many sports fans were irate when the network aired a full-screen ad when play resumed after a water break during last Thursday’s Mexico–South Africa match.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
The disasters led to congressional hearings, with irate lawmakers demanding answers, and to leadership shake-ups at the aviation company.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
Hungry Joe was irate and inconsolable until—of all people!—the chaplain was led in wearing a maroon corduroy bathrobe, shining like a skinny lighthouse with a radiant grin of self-satisfaction too tremendous to be concealed.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
