out·rage
ˈau̇t-ˌrāj 
1
: an act of violence or brutality
arranged outrages and assassinations—
Anthony West
Anthony West2
3
: the anger and resentment aroused by injury or insult
Many people expressed outrage at the court's decision.
outraged; outraging
1
a
: rape
b
: to violate the standards or principles of
he has outraged respectability past endurance—John Braine
John Braine2
: to arouse anger or resentment in usually by some grave offense
was outraged by the accusation
Synonyms
Examples of outrage in a Sentence
Noun
Many people expressed outrage at the court's decision.
Public outrage over the scandal was great.
The rule is an outrage against women.
This is an outrage! I won't allow this kind of behavior to continue.
Verb
His comments outraged nearly everyone in the room.
the spiteful comment outraged her so much that she's still holding a grudge
Recent Examples on the WebKendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2024
Large chemical drums found buried at a local park on Long Island have reignited anger and outrage from area officials and residents who have long feared that the park’s past may be linked to cancer’s prevalence in the community.
—Cb Cotton, Fox News, 13 Apr. 2024
His potential to profit from the book stirred such outrage that the original publisher, Judith Regan, was fired and thousands of copies were destroyed.
—Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
French far-right icon Marine Le Pen and her party have seemed particularly eager to channel agricultural outrage.
—Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Fans shared their outrage in comments on an Instagram post from FestiveOwl, a blog dedicated to music festival news, rumors and lineup information.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
Overseas, there's been a burst of global outrage directed at Israel over the war's toll on civilians in Gaza, including war crimes allegations brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Now, however, Arab governments that made peace with Israel, such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, are under pressure from their own people, who express outrage at Israel’s campaign in Gaza and its broader treatment of the Palestinians.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
This rising global role of Saudi Arabia is an outrage to some, a cause for celebration to others.
—Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Many people in the Amherst district describe a community that has become habituated to outrage—addicted to conflict and reprisal.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
The ruling extended an decade-long legal saga over the controversial activist who has embarrassed and outraged the U.S. with a string of blockbuster leaks.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
The passage is a victory for community members who were outraged by Allen’s death and frustrated by a history of safety issues at some convenience stores.
—Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
The law spent more than four years in hibernation after protests by hundreds of thousands of Muslims and other Indians who were outraged by the idea that citizenship would be defined with reference to religious identity.
—Sameer Yasir, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
The previous year, Netanyahu had traveled to Washington to deliver a joint address to Congress blasting Obama’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran, bypassing traditional protocol and leaving White House officials outraged.
—Toluse Olorunnipa, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
This comes after Google outraged the Indian government when its Gemini AI model said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been accused of implementing fascist policies.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024
Wendy's March Madness discount follows 'surge pricing' controversy, customers outraged on social media
Wendy’s intends to implement a dynamic pricing model as soon as 2025, which means prices would fluctuate based on time, location and demand.
—The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
Many raised concerns about the shooting being racially motivated, and voiced outrage over gun violence and inequality in the criminal justice system.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2024
Large chemical drums found buried at a local park on Long Island have reignited anger and outrage from area officials and residents who have long feared that the park’s past may be linked to cancer’s prevalence in the community.
—Cb Cotton, Fox News, 13 Apr. 2024
His potential to profit from the book stirred such outrage that the original publisher, Judith Regan, was fired and thousands of copies were destroyed.
—Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
French far-right icon Marine Le Pen and her party have seemed particularly eager to channel agricultural outrage.
—Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Fans shared their outrage in comments on an Instagram post from FestiveOwl, a blog dedicated to music festival news, rumors and lineup information.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
Overseas, there's been a burst of global outrage directed at Israel over the war's toll on civilians in Gaza, including war crimes allegations brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Now, however, Arab governments that made peace with Israel, such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, are under pressure from their own people, who express outrage at Israel’s campaign in Gaza and its broader treatment of the Palestinians.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
This rising global role of Saudi Arabia is an outrage to some, a cause for celebration to others.
—Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
How Israel pushed over a million Palestinians into a tiny corner of Gaza
Dec. 15: Israeli forces mistakenly kill three hostages
The IDF announces that its forces have mistakenly shot dead three Israeli hostages in Gaza City, outraging Israelis.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Many people in the Amherst district describe a community that has become habituated to outrage—addicted to conflict and reprisal.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
The ruling extended an decade-long legal saga over the controversial activist who has embarrassed and outraged the U.S. with a string of blockbuster leaks.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
The passage is a victory for community members who were outraged by Allen’s death and frustrated by a history of safety issues at some convenience stores.
—Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
The law spent more than four years in hibernation after protests by hundreds of thousands of Muslims and other Indians who were outraged by the idea that citizenship would be defined with reference to religious identity.
—Sameer Yasir, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
The previous year, Netanyahu had traveled to Washington to deliver a joint address to Congress blasting Obama’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran, bypassing traditional protocol and leaving White House officials outraged.
—Toluse Olorunnipa, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
This comes after Google outraged the Indian government when its Gemini AI model said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been accused of implementing fascist policies.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024
Wendy's March Madness discount follows 'surge pricing' controversy, customers outraged on social media
Wendy’s intends to implement a dynamic pricing model as soon as 2025, which means prices would fluctuate based on time, location and demand.
—The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outrage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near outrage
Cite this Entry
“Outrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outrage. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
outrage
1 of 2 noun
out·rage
ˈau̇t-ˌrāj
1
: a violent or brutal act
2
: an act that hurts someone or shows disrespect for a person's feelings
3
: the angry feelings caused by injury or insult
outrage
2 of 2 verb
outraged; outraging
1
: to cause to suffer violent injury or abuse
2
: to cause to feel anger or resentment
Etymology
Noun
from early French outrage "an act of violence or brutality" from outre "beyond" (from Latin ultra "beyond") and -age "action"
Legal Definition
outrage
noun
out·rage
ˈau̇t-ˌrāj
1
: a deeply offensive or violent act
2
: the tort of intentionally inflicting emotional distress
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