infuriate
Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
verb
adjective
Synonym Usage
See enrage.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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infuriationnoun
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infuriatingadjective
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uninfuriatedadjective
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infuriatelyadverb
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infuriatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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infuriatesimple
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infuriatessimple
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have infuriatedperfect
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has infuriatedperfect
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am infuriatingprogressive
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are infuriatingprogressive
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is infuriatingprogressive
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have been infuriatingperfect progressive
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has been infuriatingperfect progressive
Past
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infuriatedsimple
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had infuriatedperfect
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was infuriatingprogressive
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were infuriatingprogressive
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had been infuriatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of infuriate
First recorded in 1660–70; from Medieval Latin infuriātus, past participle of infuriāre “to madden, enrage.” See in- 2, fury, -ate 1
Explanation
Different things infuriate different people: whatever makes you angry, mad, or ticked off infuriates you. Fury is a word for "anger" that should help with this word: to infuriate is to fill someone with fury, i.e., anger. Unless you're new to the planet, you've probably noticed many things that are infuriating: people talking too loudly on their phones, the cancellation of your favorite TV show, stepping in a puddle, someone stealing from you, stubbing your toe. These annoying events could infuriate anyone. Sometimes you might infuriate someone else by accident. Like it or not, we all infuriate someone sometime.
Vocabulary lists containing infuriate
The Diary of Anne Frank
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List 3
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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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.
See Examples For:
Both sides are not comfortable talking about a supposed break clause in Shankland's Hearts contract that would allow him to leave for nothing, a scenario that would, no doubt, infuriate Hearts fans even further.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
Such programming disputes can lead to blackouts that infuriate customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
“He could infuriate you in such wonderful ways,” Ms. Serpell quotes her subject remarking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
For example, if you start calling a loved one on your commute home to work, the time spent in traffic that used to infuriate you may instead become a source of joy.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2025
There was this pouty look on her face that made Rowan want to smile, but he didn’t because he knew that would infuriate her.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
“It infuriates her. It doesn’t make me mad. I feel very fortunate that I can make time during the day and do these things.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
He first alarms Dickens by attempting to kiss him and then infuriates him by harvesting geraniums from the garden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
But the situation is “out of control,” and that infuriates her because families who live in small apartments with no outdoor space have been frightened away from their park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2024
It's not just the big-ticket "distractions" like having a job that infuriates them, either.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2024
In fact, he stays entirely silent, which only infuriates her further.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
He also infuriated colleagues in the coalition government, the British press reported, proposing a stream of unconventional ideas: scrapping maternity leave, abolishing job centers, even buying cloud-bursting technology so Britain would have more sunshine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
France’s smaller gas-station operators have been infuriated by the price caps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
But the increase in mining permits has infuriated environmentalists, including Ozer Akdemir, who says investment in the sector is being prioritised at the expense of pollution risks and harm to local economies.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
He infuriated observers by constantly changing systems and selections, leaving players bamboozled.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
“By the end of the meeting,” Haldeman remembered, “Nixon was as angry as his foreign affairs chief. The thought that an alleged weirdo was blatantly challenging the president infuriated him.”
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The infuriating design of LAX -- the main airport in America's second biggest city -- is almost legendary.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Lies, deceit and manipulation might be the core principles of our modern world, but that doesn’t make them any less infuriating.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
The tactic is infuriating to opposition parties, and many viewers and listeners at home.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
Telling your friend, “Oh, you’re so much better off; it’s miserable here,” might seem supportive, but it is actually tone-deaf and infuriating.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026
“You made an enemy today,” Pelicarnassus said, an infuriating smile on his beak.
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
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.
