incensed
Americanadjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of incensed
Explanation
To be incensed is to be beyond mad. It's how you feel when fighting with your cell phone company's customer service representative whose only response is to quote company policy verbatim from a script. The Latin root of the word incense is incendere, meaning "to set on fire." Yes, it's the same root for the incense sticks burned in dorm rooms and churches. For this use, however, think instead about burning tempers instead of burning sticks.
Vocabulary lists containing incensed
Mad Infinitum: Synonyms for "Angry"
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Born a Crime
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The Diary of a Young Girl
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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.
Incensed by the steady stream of traffic on “my” driveway, I soon put the property on the market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Incensed by the portrayal of the school, they staged a mass burning of the book.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2025
Incensed, she set about re-recording them from scratch, devaluing the originals while regaining control of her songs.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2024
Incensed after hearing Ben-Gvir, who was then 21, boast in a radio interview that he had succeeded in scaring her away from Jerusalem, she sent the letter to The Associated Press and other news organizations.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2023
Incensed, Penelope rang the doorbell, first once, then twice, then a third time.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
