angry

American  

[ang-gree] / ˈæŋ gri /

adjective

angrier, angriest

1. feeling or showing anger or strong resentment (usually followed by at, with, orabout ): to be angry about the snub.

   to be angry at the dean;

   to be angry about the snub.

   Synonyms:

   irritated, mad, furious, irate

   Antonyms:

   calm

2. expressing, caused by, or characterized by anger; wrathful.

   angry words.

3. Chiefly New England and Midland U.S. inflamed, as a sore; exhibiting inflammation.

4. (of an object or phenomenon) exhibiting a characteristic or creating a mood associated with anger or danger, as by color, sound, force, etc.: the boom of angry guns.

   an angry sea;

   the boom of angry guns.

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angry British  

/ ˈæŋɡrɪ /

adjective

1. feeling or expressing annoyance, animosity, or resentment; enraged

2. suggestive of anger

   angry clouds

3. severely inflamed

   an angry sore

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Usage

It was formerly considered incorrect to talk about being angry at a person, but this use is now acceptable

Other Word Forms

• angrily adverb
• angriness noun
• half-angry adjective

Etymology

Origin of angry

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; anger + -y ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

To be angry is to be furious. People who get angry a lot have a short temper. This is a word for a common emotion: being mad or enraged. People get mad all the time, about traffic, homework, parents, children, and even the weather. When you're angry it's hard to think straight: you see red. The sea could be described as angry when its waves ferociously crash the beach. Some synonyms for anger are furious, raging, and tempestuous. If you're feeling angry, you should blow off steam or count to 10 instead of doing something you'll regret.

Example Sentences

Ten years later, it’s hard not to be a little angry at how avoidable it all was.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

“This is a total humiliation. You know, you become very angry from the inside,” he told me.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

She is also haunted by a secret from her student days and angry about “the intolerable limitations of womanhood.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

"People are very angry at the referee," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

I never thought people could be that angry, that vindictive.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• annoyed
• bitter
• enraged
• exasperated
• furious
• heated
• impassioned
• indignant
• irate
• irritable
• irritated
• mad
• offended
• outraged
• resentful
• sullen
• uptight