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rage

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun rage differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of rage are anger, fury, indignation, ire, and wrath. While all these words mean "an intense emotional state induced by displeasure," rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Where would anger be a reasonable alternative to rage?

The words anger and rage can be used in similar contexts, but anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

When can indignation be used instead of rage?

While in some cases nearly identical to rage, indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

In what contexts can ire take the place of rage?

While the synonyms ire and rage are close in meaning, ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

When is it sensible to use wrath instead of rage?

The synonyms wrath and rage are sometimes interchangeable, but wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

How does the noun rage differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of rage are anger, fury, indignation, ire, and wrath. While all these words mean "an intense emotional state induced by displeasure," rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Where would anger be a reasonable alternative to rage?

The words anger and rage can be used in similar contexts, but anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

When can indignation be used instead of rage?

While in some cases nearly identical to rage, indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

In what contexts can ire take the place of rage?

While the synonyms ire and rage are close in meaning, ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

When is it sensible to use wrath instead of rage?

The synonyms wrath and rage are sometimes interchangeable, but wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rage
Noun
CPUs are all the rage lately to manage agentic AI. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026 Fire safety officials warned Georgia residents to be cautious and ready for evacuations as the wildfires gripping the state rage on, with changing weather conditions affecting containment. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
The raging optimism and confidence. Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 18 Apr. 2026 With the war in Iraq raging, the 84-year-old pope, weakened by Parkinson’s disease and less than a year from his death, condemned the war in Iraq with Bush sitting right next to him. Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rage
Noun
  • The novel delivers all the frenzy of a gold rush with rhythmic, hypnotic prose.
    Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Look at the frenzy of activity on Thursday night.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • But fights are just as integral to the Netflix show created by Lee Sung Jin, and the series’ sound team needed to do even more meticulous work building visceral senses of anger, stress, and dread that slowly swallow up the characters and steer them into making a compounding set of poor decisions.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
  • As Columbia, Rodriguez takes big, bold swings, shifting from manic exuberance to bruised vulnerability to feral anger over the course of the night.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Just when the world seems to have caught on to the duanju craze, Chinese companies are midway through another seismic change.
    Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The duo had jump-started the AI-for-Erdős craze late last year by prompting a free version of ChatGPT with open problems chosen at random from the Erdős problems website.
    Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Girardi — who was placed under a temporary conservatorship after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia — reported to prison in July to begin his seven-year sentence.
    Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Greenhaven had racked up years of health violations, including from letting untrained workers administer medications, lacking enough employees to care for people with dementia, and neglecting a resident who smeared feces over his body, bed, floor, and bathroom, the notice said.
    Jordan Rau, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The visit of King Charles, 77, with Queen Camilla, 78, comes only days after a gunman stormed the White House Correspondents Dinner that the president was attending.
    Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who hails from Torrance, CA, allegedly tried to storm the annual event at the Washington Hilton in the nation’s capital while wielding guns.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That is a steaming hot pile of garbage.
    Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Dinners take place in traditional nomad tents around the communal fire pit, and range from steaming hot pots with yak meat, mushrooms and tofu to haute-Tibetan tasting menus with wild vegetables in corn foam, tsampa grissini, and lamb shoulder with yak yogurt glaze and salsa verde.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Prosecutors say the gunman, disguised as a police officer, began his rampage by shooting Hoffman and his wife, then stopped at the residences of two other lawmakers who weren't home.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
  • But the Gunslinger’s murderous rampage is a symptom of a larger problem.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Rhys, long an expert at instilling indignation with soulful sentiment, gets pushed further here.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Racing’s indignation over that, as well as that of anger in the general public, prompted the formation by Congress of a bill that would ban the slaughter of horses in the United States.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rage. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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