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ire

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun ire differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ire are anger, fury, indignation, rage, and wrath. While all these words mean "an intense emotional state induced by displeasure," ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

In what contexts can anger take the place of ire?

While the synonyms anger and ire are close in meaning, anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

When is it sensible to use indignation instead of ire?

In some situations, the words indignation and ire are roughly equivalent. However, indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

How are the words rage and fury related as synonyms of ire?

Both rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

Where would wrath be a reasonable alternative to ire?

While in some cases nearly identical to ire, 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 ire
Noun
Delegates avoided any controversial subjects that might trigger Washington’s ire, analysts said. semafor.com, 6 July 2025 Massive data centers for digital data and computing technology have drawn the ire of neighbors across the country, as more and more land goes to fuel the rise in artificial intelligence. Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 2 July 2025 Powell’s strategy to wait for more economic data earned the ire of President Donald Trump. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025 That ire appears to have been trained on just a few lawmakers. Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 1 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for ire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ire
Noun
  • That indignation, those headlines, the praise for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s bravery and leadership cooling dramatically since those early days–in Europe and America.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • In a matter of minutes seven women were united in indignation.
    Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • Topline Attorney General Pam Bondi has become the chief lightning rod for those on the right angered by the Department of Justice’s lack of new information regarding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein—a subject of extensive right-wing conspiracies—with some calling for her firing.
    Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • That comment angered many staffers, several said in interviews.
    Rachana Pradhan, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • Arriving in 2014 – after earning the wrath of the Egyptian government for covering the Arab Spring as a freelance journalist – one of Greater Cincinnati’s newest immigration detainees has lived in Oregon, Chicago and Cincinnati.
    Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 11 July 2025
  • Democrats weren’t the only ones to feel the wrath of Minaj on Tuesday.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • Trump left Washington in January 2021 infuriated with Netanyahu, bitter that the Israeli leader had backed out of a planned joint operation to assassinate an Iranian general and had congratulated Joe Biden on his election victory.
    Eric Cortellessa, Time, 8 July 2025
  • But his veto of an affordable housing bill that had been drafted largely to his specifications infuriated lawmakers.
    Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • After a two-year spike during the pandemic and national outrage over police accountability, Chicago began to see a decline in homicides in 2022.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
  • Trump's demand for nearly 10 times that -- along with the threats that the U.S. might pull its troops from the country -- has previously drawn widespread outrage in the country, spurring calls by some for the development of South Korea's own nuclear arsenal.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • This conclusion satisfies some of the victims’ families while enraging others.
    Erin Jensen, USA Today, 12 July 2025
  • Meanwhile, Israel has shown Iran the extent of its intelligence penetration into the country and cannot, at least for the foreseeable future, continue its war without enraging Trump.
    Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • The catastrophic deluge laid waste to communities across Kerr and Kendall counties, where neighborhoods and RV parks, as well as the 18 or so youth camps attended by thousands of kids each summer, were swept away in its fury.
    Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 12 July 2025
  • The Kremlin’s fury at these exclusion zones erupted two years ago, on the eve of another BRICS summit, this time in South Africa, Dickinson says.
    Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
Noun
  • Some parents remember when tanning beds were all the rage and this trend is pretty similar.
    Annabelle Canela, Parents, 8 July 2025
  • And if this year's World's Best Awards winners are any indication, refined retreats are all the rage—especially those that give guests direct access to America's most stunning landscapes.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ire. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

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