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

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

Zegler's contrite posts were a far cry from her white-hot rage following the election of Trump.

From Salon

Aboriginal communities and scientists are concerned about devastating wildfires raging through forests deprived of that kind of burning since the arrival of European colonists in the 18th and 19th centuries.

From Science Magazine

The bright orange-and-red water spouts off the cliff with the visual intensity of a raging forest fire.

From Los Angeles Times

Ultimately, Donald Trump was able to channel the public’s grievances into his own personal grievances and ride a wave of populist rage into the White House for a second time.

From Salon

Related Words

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