rage

[ reyj ]

noun

1. angry fury; violent anger (sometimes used in combination):

   a speech full of rage;

   incidents of road rage.

   Synonyms: madness, ire, passion, frenzy, wrath

   Antonyms: calm

2. a fit of violent anger:

   Her rages usually don't last too long.

3. fury or violence of wind, waves, fire, disease, etc.

   Synonyms: turbulence

4. violence of feeling, desire, or appetite:

   the rage of thirst.

5. a violent desire or passion.
6. ardor; fervor; enthusiasm:

   poetic rage.

   Synonyms: eagerness, vehemence

7. the object of widespread enthusiasm, as for being popular or fashionable:

   Raccoon coats were the rage on campus.

   Synonyms: craze, fashion, fad, vogue

8. Archaic. insanity.

verb (used without object)

, raged, rag·ing.

1. to act or speak with fury; show or feel violent anger; fulminate.

   Synonyms: storm, fume, rave

2. to move, rush, dash, or surge furiously.

   Synonyms: storm, fume, rave

3. to proceed, continue, or prevail with great violence:

   The battle raged ten days.

4. (of feelings, opinions, etc.) to hold sway with unabated violence.

rage

/ reɪdʒ /

noun

1. intense anger; fury
2. violent movement or action, esp of the sea, wind, etc
3. great intensity of hunger, sexual desire, or other feelings
4. aggressive behaviour associated with a specified environment or activity

   road rage

   school rage

5. a fashion or craze (esp in the phrase all the rage )
6. informal.
   a dance or party

verb

1. to feel or exhibit intense anger
2. (esp of storms, fires, etc) to move or surge with great violence
3. (esp of a disease or epidemic) to spread rapidly and uncontrollably
4. informal.
   to have a good time

Other Words From

• rageful adjective
• raging·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of rage¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the noun) Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin rabia, Latin rabiēs “madness” ( rabies ( def ) ), derivative of rabere “to be mad, rave”; verb derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rage¹

C13: via Old French from Latin rabiēs madness

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. all the rage, widely popular or in style.

More idioms and phrases containing rage

see all the rage .

Synonym Study

See anger.

Example Sentences

The US has been criticised by humanitarian organisations for deciding to supply Ukraine with landmines, as the war in eastern Europe rages on.

From BBC

His rendition of “I Am What I Am” that brings the first act to a close emphasizes Albin’s rage.

From Los Angeles Times

These numbers don’t reveal much evidence of raging majoritarian white nationalism or the notion that African Americans would be alienated by flag-waving.

From Salon

He embodies that seething, alienated rage of people who feel like they’ve been left to rot in the dark corners of the country, unseen, unheard and hopeless for far too long.

From Salon

On Friday, Judge Kimberly Menninger said the evidence showed that Woodward’s crime required planning and went beyond “a fit of rage.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blow up
• boil over
• erupt
• rampage
• roar
• seethe
• tear