furious

furious — adjective

1. feeling or showing very strong anger, usually because something unfair or upsett

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling or showing very strong anger, usually because something unfair or upsetting has happened.

Example

Zuri was furious when she found out someone had stolen her bicycle.

furious + when-clause for cause of anger

Quan's boss was furious with him for missing the important client meeting.

furious with [person] for [reason]

Common collocations
  • furious with
  • furious at
  • furious about
  • furious that
  • furious rage
Synonyms
  • livid

    slightly stronger than furious, suggesting a visible physical reaction like pale skin

  • fuming

    focuses on being quietly but intensely angry inside

  • outraged

    anger with a moral dimension, at something considered unjust or offensive

Antonyms
  • calm

    the opposite emotional state; not angry at all

  • pleased

    the positive counterpart to being furious about something

Grammar Patterns

furious + at/about/with + noun

Usage Note

Commonly followed by at (the cause), with (the person), or a that-clause. The preposition choice shifts the focus: furious at the situation, furious with a person.

Common Mistakes

I am furious of my brother.
I am furious with my brother.
use 'with' for the person you are angry at, not 'of'.

2. marked by extremely energetic or fast action — for example, arguing at top volum

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

marked by extremely energetic or fast action — for example, arguing at top volume, working at full speed, or putting in all your strength to complete a task.

Example

Ryo made a furious effort to finish the project before the deadline.

furious effort — common collocation

The crew worked at a furious pace to repair the broken bridge.

furious pace — speed of work

Common collocations
  • furious pace
  • furious effort
  • furious activity
  • furious debate
  • furious battle
Synonyms
  • intense

    more general; works for emotions, effort, or concentration without the speed element

  • frantic

    adds a sense of worry or panic alongside the speed

  • heated

    used mainly for arguments, debates, or discussions

Antonyms
  • gentle

    suggests softness and low energy, the opposite of furious activity

  • leisurely

    describes a relaxed, unhurried pace

Grammar Patterns

furious + noun (pace/effort/activity/debate)

Usage Note

Only used before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'His pace was furious' to mean very fast; instead, say 'He worked at a furious pace.' Distinguish from sense 1: here there is no anger — only strong energy or speed.

Common Mistakes

The argument was furious, but nobody was upset.
The argument was a furious exchange of ideas, but nobody was upset.
In this sense 'furious' must go before a noun (a furious debate / a furious pace), not after a linking verb.

3. (of weather, wind, or the sea) extremely wild, strong, and violent in appearance

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

(of weather, wind, or the sea) extremely wild, strong, and violent in appearance or effect.

Example

A furious storm swept across the coast, knocking down power lines.

furious storm — violent weather event

Aylin watched the furious waves crash against the rocky shore.

furious waves — wild sea condition

Common collocations
  • furious storm
  • furious wind
  • furious waves
  • furious sea
Synonyms
  • violent

    more common and less literary; works for weather, crime, or physical force

  • raging

    very close in meaning; often used for fires, storms, or rivers in flood

  • tempestuous

    strongly literary; almost always describes stormy weather or turbulent emotions

Antonyms
  • calm

    describes peaceful, still weather — the opposite of a furious storm

  • mild

    gentle weather conditions with no danger or violence

Grammar Patterns

furious + weather noun (storm/wind/waves/sea)

Usage Note

This sense is primarily literary or used in news reports. Unlike senses 1 and 2, it applies only to natural forces (storms, wind, sea, waves) and personifies them as if driven by anger.

Word family

  • fury
    nounB2
  • furiously
    adverbB2
  • infuriate
    verbC1
  • infuriating
    adjectiveC1
  • infuriatingly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe high levels of anger, but they differ in intensity, cause, and how visible the anger is. Furious is the most general term for extreme anger, whether you show it or not. Livid suggests anger so intense that it drains colour from your face — it implies a barely controlled rage. Irate is more formal and often describes anger directed at a specific, justified target, such as a policy or a service failure. Fuming focuses on the internal, seething quality of anger that may not be expressed aloud — you can be fuming while staying outwardly calm. Outraged adds a moral or ethical dimension: you are angry because you believe something is unjust or offensive. For example, a parent might be furious that a child broke a rule, outraged at the school's unfair punishment, and still be fuming about it hours later.

furious ↗lividiratefumingoutraged

Common collocations

Nouns

  • furious anger
  • furious rage
  • furious temper

Adverbs

  • absolutely furious
  • positively furious
  • visibly furious
  • still furious

Phrases

  • furious for a time
  • furious beyond words

Prepositions

  • furious at
  • furious with
  • furious about

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Furious comes from the Latin word furiosus, meaning 'full of rage or madness,' which itself comes from furia ('rage, fury, passion'), related to furere ('to rage'). It entered English through Old French furieus in the 1300s. The original meaning was closer to 'mad, insane with rage.' Over time the word broadened: by the 1600s, people were using it metaphorically for violent natural forces (a furious storm) and later for intense activity (a furious pace). The storm and energy senses are extensions of the core anger idea — as if the wind or the effort were driven by rage.