adjective
-
incensed with anger; furious
-
marked by extreme anger
an irate letter
Other Word Forms
- irately adverb
- irateness noun
- nonirate adjective
- nonirately adverb
Etymology
Origin of irate
First recorded in 1830–40; from Latin īrātus, past participle of īrāscī “to be angry, get angry”; irascible, -ate 1
Explanation
On the anger scale, first comes annoyed, then vexed, then irate. When cartoon characters are irate, they're so mad that smoke comes out of their ears. The first syllable of irate is ir for ire, related to the Greek word oistros which means "thing causing madness." An irate investor might sell all his or her stock in a company. Let's hope you thanked your aunt for the birthday check — otherwise you might get an irate phone call from her. When your mother is irate, you'd best get out of the way, and get busy cleaning your room.
Vocabulary lists containing irate
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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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.
Allan initially appeared willing to engage, but grew irate when he realized he was being videotaped.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Praise be, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has seen a great light—or maybe heard that voters are irate about their winter heating bills.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Villa analyst Victor Manas urged Tindall to "show some respect" and "lose the finger" after the Newcastle number two repeatedly shushed a visibly irate Unai Emery at St James' Park.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Still, many Kalshi traders were irate that a seemingly simple question on the prediction market could be undone by the fine print.
From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026
He’d forbidden me from bringing my camera to work after I’d photographed an irate man with an eye patch and a peg leg.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
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.
