rage

[reyj]

noun

1. angry fury; violent anger (sometimes used in combination).

   a speech full of rage;

   incidents of road rage.

   Synonyms: madness, ire, passion, frenzy, wrath
   Antonyms: calm

2. a fit of violent anger.

   Her rages usually don't last too long.

3. fury or violence of wind, waves, fire, disease, etc.

   Synonyms: turbulence

4. violence of feeling, desire, or appetite.

   the rage of thirst.

5. a violent desire or passion.

6. ardor; fervor; enthusiasm.

   poetic rage.

   Synonyms: vehemence, eagerness

7. the object of widespread enthusiasm, as for being popular or fashionable.

   Raccoon coats were the rage on campus.

   Synonyms: craze, fashion, fad, vogue

8. Archaic.,  insanity.

verb (used without object)

raged, raging 

1. to act or speak with fury; show or feel violent anger; fulminate.

   Synonyms: storm, fume, rave

2. to move, rush, dash, or surge furiously.

   Synonyms: storm, fume, rave

3. to proceed, continue, or prevail with great violence.

   The battle raged ten days.

4. (of feelings, opinions, etc.) to hold sway with unabated violence.

rage

/ reɪdʒ /

noun

1. intense anger; fury

2. violent movement or action, esp of the sea, wind, etc

3. great intensity of hunger, sexual desire, or other feelings

4. aggressive behaviour associated with a specified environment or activity

   road rage

   school rage

5. a fashion or craze (esp in the phrase all the rage )

6. informal,  a dance or party

verb

1. to feel or exhibit intense anger

2. (esp of storms, fires, etc) to move or surge with great violence

3. (esp of a disease or epidemic) to spread rapidly and uncontrollably

4. informal,  to have a good time

Other Word Forms

• rageful adjective
• ragingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of rage¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin rabia, Latin rabiēs “madness” ( rabies ( def. ) ), derivative of rabere “to be mad, rave”; verb derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rage¹

C13: via Old French from Latin rabiēs madness

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. all the rage, widely popular or in style.

see all the rage.

Synonym Study

See anger.

Example Sentences

The lifeblood of social media platforms is engagement, and rage is a reliable driver.

Read more on Salon

But for the first time in decades, the three million inhabitants of the capital Mogadishu -- relatively well-protected from the conflict still raging just a couple of hours outside the city -- are witnessing a building boom.

Read more on Barron's

The deadpan exchange has ricocheted across social media as a perfect encapsulation of the odd, stiff-smiling dynamic between two politicians who recently spent months raging against each other online.

Read more on Salon

And Yale hasn’t won one since 1927, a time when dancing the Charleston and reckless stock-market speculation were all the rage.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When “Rebuilding” premiered at Sundance in January, Southern California festivalgoers couldn’t help but feel a queasy déjà vu: The Eaton and Palisades fires were still raging, destroying communities and displacing so many.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• animosity 
• bitterness 
• exasperation 
• excitement 
• frenzy 
• furor 
• fury 
• indignation 
• irritation 
• madness 
• mania 
• obsession 
• outburst 
• passion 
• resentment 
• temper 
• violence