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.
Officials in mediating countries said Iran’s rejection incensed them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
There was a catch: The doctor in question had no idea that funds were being solicited or contributed in her name — and she was incensed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
So, when the officials alerted the euphoric crowd that the shot didn’t count and the Bulls had actually lost, the hometown fans were incensed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw, still incensed by Ndala's decision a few moments earlier to disallow a Senegal goal from Ismaila Sarr, ushered his team off the field.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
I was incensed and wasn’t about to let myself be put off like that.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
