wrath
noun
strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire.
wrath
1 American
[rath, rahth, rawth]
/ ræθ, rɑθ, rɔθ /
noun
-
strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire.
- Synonyms:
- choler, fury, resentment, rage
-
vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger.
adjective
Wrath
2
American
[rath]
/ ræθ /
noun
wrath
1
British
/ rɒθ /
noun
-
angry, violent, or stern indignation
-
divine vengeance or retribution
-
archaic a fit of anger or an act resulting from anger
adjective
Wrath
2
British
/ rɔːθ, rɒθ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wrath
First recorded before 900; (for the noun) Middle English wraththe, Old English wrǣththo, equivalent to wrāth wroth + -tho -th 1; (for the adjective) variant of wroth by association with the noun
Explanation
Wrath is great anger that expresses itself in a desire to punish someone: Noah saw the flood as a sign of the wrath of God. Wrath is also used figuratively of things that behave in a violent way: Earthquakes are the wrath of the sea. This noun and the corresponding adjective wrathful are in literary use but are formal or old-fashioned words, that crop up in fantasy fiction or movies set in prehistoric times.
Vocabulary lists containing wrath
Emotions on Display
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Words inspired by "Inside Out"
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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:
The target of the Danish group's wrath is an advertising campaign that was "aired during recent, widely viewed global sporting broadcasts and on TikTok and Facebook, causing widespread confusion," it said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
“These things survived the wrath of fire,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
But for one celebrity in China, even a legion of devoted fans was not enough to stave off the wrath of the internet.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
A lot of ink has been spilled in recent months predicting how new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh would face the wrath of President Donald Trump unless he could quickly deliver more interest-rate cuts.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
His mind was hot with wrath and the memory of evil.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
We’ve got to throw in ‘The Grapes of Wrath.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Parrish was photographed running the 2023 Cape Wrath event by No Limits Photography.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
In “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” hundreds of little monkeys invaded the raft where Aguirre is half dead, drifting on the Amazon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
Herzog, already a giant of New German Cinema with movies including “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” and “Stroszek” under his belt, revered Murnau’s film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
When Tisquantum approached the Pilgrims and identified himself by that sobriquet, it was as if he had stuck out his hand and said, Hello, I’m the Wrath of God.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
