anger
Americannoun
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anger
plural
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a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath; ire.
- Synonyms:
- spleen, bile, choler, exasperation, resentment
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Chiefly British Dialect. pain or smart, as of a sore.
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Obsolete. grief; trouble.
verb (used with object)
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angers,
present (3rd person singular)
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angered,
past participle, past
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angering
present participle
verb (used without object)
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angers,
present (3rd person singular)
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angered,
past participle, past
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angering
present participle
noun
verb
Usage
What does anger mean? Anger is a human emotion that involves intense displeasure and aggression as a response to an aggravating event, as in My mother was filled with anger after she found out that I had snuck out to the party. The word anger is also used to mean to make someone feel anger or to begin to feel anger oneself, as in That grouchy old man next door angers easily. Anger also refers to making someone else feel anger, as in The disrespect shown by the new recruit angered the drill instructor. Anger is a strong human emotion, and you’ve likely experienced anger in your own life. If you have ever felt your heart pumping strongly and wanted to scream or punch a wall, you’ve felt anger. You might feel anger when someone insults you, takes something from you, hurts one of your loved ones, or does something that you really don’t like. Feeling anger is completely normal, although how you respond to anger can make a big difference. Angry is used to describe feeling anger, as in I try to avoid angry dogs. Example: The silly jester was an expert at calming the king’s anger.
Synonym Usage
Anger, fury, indignation, rage imply deep and strong feelings aroused by injury, injustice, wrong, etc. Anger is the general term for a sudden violent displeasure: a burst of anger. Indignation implies deep and justified anger: indignation at cruelty or against corruption. Rage is vehement anger: rage at being frustrated. Fury is rage so great that it resembles insanity: the fury of an outraged lover.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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angersimple
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angerssimple
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have angeredperfect
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has angeredperfect
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am angeringprogressive
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are angeringprogressive
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is angeringprogressive
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have been angeringperfect progressive
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has been angeringperfect progressive
Past
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angeredsimple
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had angeredperfect
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was angeringprogressive
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were angeringprogressive
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had been angeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of anger
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse angr “sorrow, grief,” akin to Old High German angust ( German Angst “fear”), Latin angor “anguish”
Explanation
If you’re mad about something and you’re not going to take it anymore, you’re feeling anger, a strong emotion you experience when you think someone has done you wrong. If you want to scream and kick, you’re feeling anger. Anger is a powerful emotion that people feel from time to time when someone or something frustrates or annoys them. One of the roots of anger is the Greek word ankhone for "a strangling," which is a perfect description of the way anger actually feels. Indeed, anger can make you feel like strangling someone. Don’t do it! If you’re feeling a lot of anger, it’s good to take a nice, deep breath.
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.
See Examples For:
“People oscillate between euphoria, depression, anger and hatred,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Ellison and his executives have vacillated from anger to acceptance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Alex Clark, a popular podcast host in the Turning Point USA network, has also been struggling to tamp down her anger over this.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
In a second experiment, 12 dogs were shown images of people expressing happiness, anger, fear, and sadness.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
I shot back, glad I had an outlet for the anger that had been simmering under the surface of my skin ever since that morning’s disastrous study session.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
The wrinkle that angers buyers is that by event time, comparable replacement tickets on StubHub can cost significantly more than the customer originally paid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Seems simple, but that’s not always the case. He can be direct, and that sometimes angers a player, but it’s always well thought out and usually right.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2025
It is this sense of waste - with people who could be leading a good life but aren't - that angers experts most, who say it is a neglected diagnosis.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
Sherrilyn Ifill: It angers me, obviously, but I also often get a chuckle out of it.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2025
Sometimes Mama worries, and other times she angers.
From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple
Historically, other confederations have been angered by European dominance of football, its competitions and its wealth.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The travel is helping boost economies even as it has angered many locals who say their cities, now reliant on foreign visitors, are no longer serving them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
What really angered stakeholders, however, was Infantino’s brazen move to develop the FFE in secret, only to have its details leak out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Southwest Airlines is in the middle of major makeover that has angered some of its most loyal fans.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
I seem to have angered Nicasia past caring about any of that.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Every time the narrative comes close to truly condemning children’s access to devices, the movie pulls back in fear of isolating or angering the audience.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
The bishops, often nervous about angering the public at a time when church attendance continues its steady decline, have to think carefully about whether to challenge these celebrity priests.
From Slate ● Jun. 8, 2026
The Iranians know Pakistan fears angering its people, who are mostly sympathetic to Iran, in particular a large Shiite Muslim minority that accounts for up to 20% of Pakistan’s population.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
At last year’s COP30 in Brazil, about 80 countries backed a road map to phase out oil, gas and coal, but it was dropped from the final document for lack of consensus, angering many delegates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
This time her smile is gone—I’ve succeeded in angering her.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
