anger
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Anger is the everyday word for the strong feeling that rises when something seems unfair or hurtful; it covers a wide range of intensity from mild to severe. Rage is much stronger and suggests a loss of control — someone in a rage might shout, slam doors, or break things. Fury is similar to rage but feels more intense and often shorter, like a sudden storm. Irritation sits at the mild end: a brief, surface-level annoyance, such as feeling irritation at slow traffic. Resentment is slow-burning: it builds quietly over time when a person feels treated unfairly, and it can last for years. So you might feel irritation when a colleague interrupts once, anger when it happens repeatedly, resentment if you believe you are unfairly ignored, and rage if your work is publicly stolen.
Common collocations
Etymology
English borrowed 'anger' in the early 13th century from Old Norse 'angr', meaning 'trouble, grief, or sorrow'. The original idea was closer to the pain or hardship that causes the feeling, not the angry feeling itself. Over the next two centuries the meaning shifted in English to focus on the emotional reaction — the strong displeasure we now call anger. The Old Norse word goes back further to a Proto-Germanic root linked to tightness or constriction, the same root behind English 'anguish' and the 'ang-' in 'angst'.