in high dudgeon

Idioms  

1. Furiously, resentfully, as in He stormed out in high dudgeon. This term is the only surviving use of the word dudgeon, whose origin has been lost. [c. 1600]

---

Example Sentences

European leaders issued a joint statement External link in high dudgeon on Tuesday, insisting that “Greenland belongs to its people.”

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

It's not just the financial press in high dudgeon over his policies.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2025

So why has the most recent adaptation — Carrie Cracknell’s spicy version of “Persuasion,” now streaming on Netflix — sent so many viewers to their fainting couches, heaving in high dudgeon?

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2022

Over the past few years, with social media commenters in high dudgeon, a slew of art and architectural critics, including The Times’ Christopher Knight, have lobbed repeated salvos at the redesign.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2020

Only an exceedingly fortunate, patient, and sweet-tempered person can go through life without ever feeling in high dudgeon, and that was just as true in Miss Penelope Lumley’s day as it is in our own.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood