outrage
Americannoun
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outrages
plural
-
an act of wanton cruelty or violence; any gross violation of law or decency.
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anything that strongly offends, insults, or affronts the feelings.
-
a powerful feeling of resentment or anger aroused by something perceived as an injury, insult, or injustice.
Outrage seized the entire nation at the news of the attempted assassination.
verb (used with object)
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outrages,
present (3rd person singular)
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outraged,
past participle, past
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outraging
present participle
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to subject to grievous violence or indignity.
-
to anger or offend; make resentful; shock.
I am outraged by his whole attitude.
-
to offend against (right, decency, feelings, etc.) grossly or shamelessly.
Such conduct outrages our normal sense of decency.
-
to rape.
- Synonyms:
- violate
noun
-
a wantonly vicious or cruel act
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a gross violation of decency, morality, honour, etc
-
profound indignation, anger, or hurt, caused by such an act
verb
-
to cause profound indignation, anger, or resentment in
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to offend grossly (feelings, decency, human dignity, etc)
-
to commit an act of wanton viciousness, cruelty, or indecency on
-
a euphemistic word for rape 1
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outragesimple
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outragessimple
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have outragedperfect
-
has outragedperfect
-
am outragingprogressive
-
are outragingprogressive
-
is outragingprogressive
-
have been outragingperfect progressive
-
has been outragingperfect progressive
Past
-
outragedsimple
-
had outragedperfect
-
was outragingprogressive
-
were outragingprogressive
-
had been outragingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outrage
1250–1300; Middle English < Old French outrage, ultrage, equivalent to outr ( er ) to push beyond bounds (derivative of outre beyond < Latin ultrā ) + -age -age
Explanation
If you consider how people are treated in airports an outrage, you get really angry over airport security or the price of airport food. Six dollars for a piece of pizza? What an outrage! Something is an outrage when it is shocking and makes you angry. Stealing from an orphanage? That's an outrage. Sometimes outrage leads to action. Public outrage over the latest political scandal often makes the news.
Vocabulary lists containing outrage
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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:
“SNL” and its longtime producer Lorne Michaels have yet to comment on the controversy, even as the outrage grows louder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Much of the outrage in Ukraine this week has been over restrictions to the Starshield satellite communications system that its military relies upon to detect incoming Russian attacks and to coordinate its frontline response.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Late on Thursday evening, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had spoken to President Donald Trump about the shooting and had expressed "outrage on behalf of New Yorkers".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The outrage at Cornell, along with a string of recent Greek scandals at other high-profile schools, is fueling calls to curb fraternities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
It’s funny, how you can go years seeing only what you choose to see, and picking your outrage like you pick out a slip, leaving all the others hanging on their slim mesarthium dowel.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Major broadcasters give these outrages the same weight as other headlines.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
But it’s just as much about journalistic malpractice, ethical outrages and the besmearing of reputations on the flimsiest of evidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
It reveals an American elite blinded to outrages occurring in plain view, due to the clubby nature of high society.
From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2025
In an interview with historian Brian Harrison in the 1970s, Jessie recalled the so-called "pillar box outrages" were planned "with military precision."
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2025
And yet, we shall succeed because we must—we have no choice in the matter—to fight or to submit to the greatest indignities and outrages.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
"We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Conservationists and shark lovers were outraged at the proposal.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
After a concertgoer died in the audience at a Carson music festival on Saturday, an artist is outraged the show continued while the deceased was still on-site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
When Peters was sentenced, Trump declared himself outraged.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
When Charles Darwin indicated that Homo sapiens was just another kind of animal, people were outraged.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
A month later, he posted on X: “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” outraging many of his anti-vaccine supporters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
In the months since, he has expanded the deployments of troops to US cities, outraging critics.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025
However, after he was later picked out of a police line up the odds were stacked against him, and, on 28 March 2023, he was found guilty at Barnsley Magistrates' Court of outraging public decency.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2024
Russia enacted a similar law that year, outraging women’s rights advocates.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2024
To follow him closely throughout his tuition, would be to extend this article more than is intended, besides outraging the military knowledge of many by a recital of elementary instruction.
From The International Monthly, Volume 5, No. 3, March, 1852 by Various
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