dudgeon

¹ American  

[duhj-uhn] / ˈdʌdʒ ən /

noun

1. a feeling of offense or resentment; anger.

   He had every right to express his dudgeon.

   Synonyms:

   pic, indignation

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idioms

1. in high dudgeon, in a state of great resentment or anger.

   He stood up and left the room in high dudgeon.

dudgeon ² American  

[duhj-uhn] / ˈdʌdʒ ən /

noun

Obsolete.

1. a kind of wood used especially for the handles of knives, daggers, etc.

2. a handle or hilt made of this wood.

3. a dagger having such a hilt.

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dudgeon ¹ British  

/ ˈdʌdʒən /

noun

1. obsolete a wood used in making the handles of knives, daggers, etc

2. archaic a dagger, knife, etc, with a dudgeon hilt

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dudgeon ² British  

/ ˈdʌdʒən /

noun

1. anger or resentment (archaic, except in the phrase in high dudgeon )

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dudgeon More Idioms  

1. see in high dudgeon.

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Etymology

Origin of dudgeon¹

First recorded in 1565–75; origin uncertain

Origin of dudgeon²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; related to Anglo-French digeon, digeoun, dogeon; origin uncertain

Explanation

When you're profoundly upset and indignant about something, you're in high dudgeon. If a manager says something offensive to his employees, he risks having them all quit in high dudgeon. Dudgeon is a noun that means "intense resentment," although these days it's usually preceded by "in high." So your little cousin who's stomping out of the room in fury because he didn't get candy before dinner? He's in high dudgeon. And your substitute teacher who's sputtering furiously after learning everyone gave her a fake name? She's also in high dudgeon. A dudgeon was once also a kind of wooden-handled knife, although the roots for each meaning are apparently unrelated.

Example Sentences

European leaders issued a joint statement External link in high dudgeon on Tuesday, insisting that “Greenland belongs to its people.”

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

It's not just the financial press in high dudgeon over his policies.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2025

But some Angelenos took their picket signs and their dudgeon to City Hall.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2023

But neither her dudgeon nor the Zoom itself turn out to be what they first seem; in a code-switching coda, Diamond suggests just how confusing our world’s new terrain can be.

From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2020

Only an exceedingly fortunate, patient, and sweet-tempered person can go through life without ever feeling in high dudgeon, and that was just as true in Miss Penelope Lumley’s day as it is in our own.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood