Anger — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈaŋ-gər/ an·ger

Meaning & Definition of Anger

Anger (noun)

  1. a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism
  2. a threatening or violent appearance or state, rage

Anger (verb)

  1. to make (someone) angry
  2. to become angry

Anger (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an intense emotional state of displeasure with someone or something

    "managed to stifle his anger when the receptionist put him on hold for the third time"

    similar: angriness, birse (chiefly Scottish), choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness, ire, lividity, lividness, mad, madness, mood (archaic), outrage, rage, spleen, wrath, wrathfulness, slow burn
    related: aggravation, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, vexation, acrimoniousness, acrimony, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, bile, biliousness, bitterness, contempt, embitterment, empoisonment, enmity, grudge, hostility, rancor, envy, jaundice, jealousy, pique, resentment, malevolence, malice, spite, vengefulness, venom, vindictiveness, virulence, vitriol, belligerence, contentiousness, contrariness, crankiness, disputatiousness, hot-headedness, irascibility, irascibleness, irritability, orneriness, pugnaciousness, pugnacity, quarrelsomeness, querulousness, blowup, flare, flare-up, outburst, chafe, dander, dudgeon, huff, pet, rise, ruffle, temper, air rage, road rage, delirium, heat, passion, warmth
    opposite: delight, pleasure
    near: calmness, forbearance, patience

Anger (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to make angry

    "it's virtually impossible to anger Mrs. Peterson—she's the most easygoing person I've ever known"

    similar: enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, ire, mad, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, steam up, tick off, get one's goat, rub the wrong way
    related: affront, aggravate, annoy, burn (up), cross, exasperate, get, huff, irritate, miff, nettle, offend, peeve, pique, provoke, put out, ruffle, vex, antagonize, embitter, envenom
    opposite: delight, gratify, please
    near: allay, assuage, relieve, comfort, console, soothe, appease, conciliate, mollify, pacify, placate, calm, lull, quiet, settle, beguile, bewitch, captivate, charm, disarm, enchant

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Anger

The most common words with a similar meaning to Anger:

Chiefly Scottish: birse
Archaic: mood
angriness, choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness, ire, lividity, lividness, mad, madness, outrage, rage, spleen, wrath, wrathfulness, slow burn, enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, madden, rankle, rile, roil, steam up, tick off, get one's goat, rub the wrong way

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Anger

Words with the opposite meaning of Anger:

delight, pleasure, gratify, please

Related Words for Anger

aggravation, annoyance, exasperation, irritation, vexation, acrimoniousness, acrimony, animosity, antagonism, antipathy, bile, biliousness, bitterness, contempt, embitterment, empoisonment, enmity, grudge, hostility, rancor, envy, jaundice, jealousy, pique, resentment, malevolence, malice, spite, vengefulness, venom

Near Antonyms of Anger

calmness, forbearance, patience, allay, assuage, relieve, comfort, console, soothe, appease, conciliate, mollify, pacify, placate, calm, lull, quiet, settle, beguile, bewitch, captivate, charm, disarm, enchant

Word Forms of Anger

Inflections: angers, angered, angering

Derived words: angerless (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Anger

Middle English anger, angre "distress, affliction, hostile attitude, strong displeasure," borrowed from Old Norse angr "grief, vexation," going back to Germanic *angaza-, from an Indo-European s-stem *h2emǵh-es-/*h2emǵh-os- (whence Latin angor "suffocation, anguish," Sanskrit áṁhaḥ "anxiety, trouble," Avestan ązah-), derivatives of a verbal base *h2emǵh- "constrict, narrow," whence Latin angō, angere "to choke, cause pain to, afflict, vex," Greek ánchō, ánchein "to squeeze, strangle," Hittite ḫamanki "(s/he) ties, binds"; also from the base *h2emǵh- an adjective derivative *h2emǵh-u- "narrow," whence Germanic *angu- (> *angwu-, angwja-, whence Old English enge "narrow," ange "distressing," Old Saxon & Old High German engi "narrow," Old High German ango "anxious," Old Norse ǫngr, øngr, Gothic aggwus), Old Irish cumung "narrow," Welsh cyfyng, Old Church Slavic ǫzŭkŭ, Polish wązki, Armenian anjuk (Slavic & Armenian with a velar suffix), Sanskrit aṁhúḥ

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Anger

Words & Phrases Containing Anger

more in sorrow than in anger

Frequently Asked Questions about Anger

What does "Anger" mean?

"Anger" means a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Anger"?

Other words for "Anger" include angriness, birse, choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness and ire. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Anger" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Anger"?

There are 114 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Anger". Common alternatives include angriness, birse, choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness, ire, lividity and lividness.

What is the opposite of "Anger"?

Antonyms of "Anger" include delight, pleasure, gratify and please. Near antonyms include calmness, forbearance, patience and allay.

How do you use "Anger" in a sentence?

Examples of "Anger" in a sentence: "managed to stifle his anger when the receptionist put him on hold for the third time"; "it's virtually impossible to anger Mrs. Peterson—she's the most easygoing person I've ever known".

Is "Anger" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Anger" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Anger" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Anger" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Anger"?

"Anger" is pronounced /ˈaŋ-gər/ and divided into syllables as an·ger.