ire

1 of 2

noun

ˈī(-ə)r 

: intense and usually openly displayed anger

ire transitive verb

ireful

ˈī(-ə)r-fəl 

adjective

Ire

2 of 2

abbreviation

Ireland

Synonyms

Noun

• anger
• angriness
• birse [chiefly Scottish]
• choler
• furor
• fury
• indignation
• irateness
• lividity
• lividness
• mad
• madness
• mood [archaic]
• outrage
• rage
• spleen
• wrath
• wrathfulness

Choose the Right Synonym for ire

anger, ire, rage, fury, indignation, wrath mean an intense emotional state induced by displeasure.

anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

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

shook with rage

could not contain his fury

indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

Examples of ire in a Sentence

Noun

He directed his ire at the coworkers who reported the incident.

the patronizing comment from the snooty waiter roused her ire

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Still, Karlsson’s work in the defensive zone has been iffy (sound familiar), and a shaky performance in a 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday drew the ire of Sullivan. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024

After Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020, voters and officials upset with the outcome focused their ire on the state agency that issues guidance to the clerks and considers complaints. —ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2024

That has raised predictable ire from the oil industry and Republicans, but some Democrats and environmentalists are also demanding that regulators give straight answers. —Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

As Columbia University’s Adam Tooze points out, while activists were focusing their ire on the United States, about 20 years ago China surpassed U.S. CO2 levels and is today, by far, the world’s largest source of emissions. —Dan Ikenson, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin ira; perhaps akin to Greek oistros gadfly, frenzy

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ire

noun

ˈī(ə)r 

: anger entry 1

ire verb

ireful

-fəl 

adjective

irefully

-fə-lē

adverb