rage

[reyj]

noun

1. angry fury; violent anger (sometimes used in combination).

   a speech full of rage;

   incidents of road rage.

   Synonyms: madness, ire, passion, frenzy, wrath
   Antonyms: calm

2. a fit of violent anger.

   Her rages usually don't last too long.

3. fury or violence of wind, waves, fire, disease, etc.

   Synonyms: turbulence

4. violence of feeling, desire, or appetite.

   the rage of thirst.

5. a violent desire or passion.

6. ardor; fervor; enthusiasm.

   poetic rage.

   Synonyms: vehemence, eagerness

7. the object of widespread enthusiasm, as for being popular or fashionable.

   Raccoon coats were the rage on campus.

   Synonyms: craze, fashion, fad, vogue

8. Archaic.,  insanity.

verb (used without object)

raged, raging 

1. to act or speak with fury; show or feel violent anger; fulminate.

   Synonyms: storm, fume, rave

2. to move, rush, dash, or surge furiously.

   Synonyms: storm, fume, rave

3. to proceed, continue, or prevail with great violence.

   The battle raged ten days.

4. (of feelings, opinions, etc.) to hold sway with unabated violence.

rage

/ reɪdʒ /

noun

1. intense anger; fury

2. violent movement or action, esp of the sea, wind, etc

3. great intensity of hunger, sexual desire, or other feelings

4. aggressive behaviour associated with a specified environment or activity

   road rage

   school rage

5. a fashion or craze (esp in the phrase all the rage )

6. informal,  a dance or party

verb

1. to feel or exhibit intense anger

2. (esp of storms, fires, etc) to move or surge with great violence

3. (esp of a disease or epidemic) to spread rapidly and uncontrollably

4. informal,  to have a good time

Other Word Forms

• rageful adjective
• ragingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of rage¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin rabia, Latin rabiēs “madness” ( rabies ( def. ) ), derivative of rabere “to be mad, rave”; verb derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rage¹

C13: via Old French from Latin rabiēs madness

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. all the rage, widely popular or in style.

see all the rage.

Synonym Study

See anger.

Example Sentences

But a few have stepped forward with messages that have resonated in different, deeper ways during this awful week of rage.

From Salon

He asks her to sue for divorce, but Aurora refuses, raging that doing so would mean her life as she knows it would be over.

From Salon

We are living in an era of rage against the elites.

From Salon

"When he was in that weird rage… his eyes would go completely black," she says.

From BBC

Duelling lawsuits between the It Ends With Us stars have raged in New York federal court following the awkward promotional campaign for their 2024 film that Baldoni also produced and directed.

From BBC

Related Words

• animosity 
• bitterness 
• exasperation 
• excitement 
• frenzy 
• furor 
• fury 
• indignation 
• irritation 
• madness 
• mania 
• obsession 
• outburst 
• passion 
• resentment 
• temper 
• violence