Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Anger; wrath. See Synonyms at anger.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Iron.
- n. Anger; wrath; keen resentment.
- n. Synonyms Vexation, Indignation, etc. See anger.
- To anger; fret; irritate.
- An abbreviation of Ireland.
Wiktionary
- n. Iron.
- n. literary, poetic Great anger; wrath; keen resentment.
- v. transitive To anger; to fret; to irritate.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. poet. Anger; wrath.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
- n. belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong (personified as one of the deadly sins)
Etymologies
- From Middle English ire, from Old French ire ("ire"), from Latin ira ("wrath, rage"), from Proto-Indo-European *eis- (“to fall upon, act sharply”) (compare Old English ofost ("haste, zeal"), Old Norse eisa ("to race forward"), Ancient Greek ἱερός (hierós, "supernatural, holy"), οἶστρος (oĩstros, "frenzy; gadfly"), Avestan aesma 'anger', Sanskrit eṣati 'it drives on'). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Old French, from Latin īra; see eis- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“He adds that there are more serious acts committed by other politicians that should receive more ire from the Paraguayan citizens, and that the press should return to focusing on the “national agenda.””
Global Voices in English » Paraguay: President Lugo Admits Fathering a Child as Bishop
“Vandalism against those who provoke their ire is not uncommon.”
Update: Accused Poacher Says He Found Record 8-Point Dead, Pleads Not Guilty
“Public ire is simmering these days over what one news channel referred to as Pakistan's "jumbo-sized" cabinet: It is made up of 61 ministers and advisers, several among them marginally qualified or shadowed by graft allegations.”
The Washington Post: Government critics cite Pakistani cabinet's bulk
“That said, my ire is directed at NASA, not at Chris's site.”
NASA ESAS Study Appendices Show up on Pay-Per Use Site - NASA Watch
“This has drawn ire from the purists, including her ex-partner, an artist called Ulay with whom she lived for a year among the Australian Aborigines.”
“The first run through of the DMCA laws here in the states brought the same ire from the corporate interests that it would have affected and in short and quick order was squelched until modifications were made.”
“My hottest ire is reserved for pseudo-progressives, like BLUE OREGON, that convince the herd that they're progressives, then give aid and comfort to their hack buddies, like Wyden, and folks conclude it's all krap.”
“You paint us as oversensitive naifs whose ire is disproportionate (a product of cosseting by society,) whose sexual orientation is entirely deserving of your judgement, and who essentially call "any hurt" down upon ourselves.”
“As always in populist screeds such as this, the primary target of ire is the "canon-maker-wannabes" in universities.”
“But lately their ire is mostly directed at the umpiring crew if they make a bad call.”
The Huffington Post: Joan E. Dowlin: Joy Is a Phillies Phanatic
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ire’.
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Public List: Two by Fives
This is an experiment in public lists--something I've been thinking about for some time. The goal is to create a collection of short, powerful, evocative words.
This is an open list. A...icy, howl, hymn, thorn, fire, vile, mist, blunt, scum, dark, shot, gleam and 221 more...
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501
Classic
abhor, mirth, obtuse, iota, vex, irk, teem, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane and 401 more...
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501
Classic
irk, teem, blight, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado and 401 more...
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501
Classic
bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado, toil, onus, aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august and 401 more...
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On with their heads!
Words that make other words with the addition of one letter at the beginning. The resulting words are tagged "behead".
men, his, yes, any, iota, limb, aged, laid, land, lead, read, word and 327 more...
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3-letter Scrabble Words
aah, aal, aas, aba, abo, abs, aby, ace, act, add, ado, ads and 995 more...
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3 Letter Words
A list of English words that are three letters long.
ace, act, ade, ado, add, ads, age, ago, ail, air, aim, all and 397 more...
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GRE
droll, dyspeptic, ebullient, ardor, edify, efficacy, malinger, mannered, martinet, maudlin, mendacious, mendicant and 101 more...
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Do More Than Hate
A list of words for describing dislike, reproval or criticism.
belabor, malevolent, reprobate, ire, anger, rage, fury, choler, indignance, grame, scorn, geck and 23 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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ChortleGiggleSnort
Significant Words- Guiding you on your path to Snazzibility
flimsy, feeble, ranting, ramble, narky, snazzy, yoghurt, bulbous, pustule, globulous, geranium, megalomaniac and 521 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, I
irenic, inimical, ignotism, infrangible, internecine, illumine, ingot, imposter, iconoclast, indefeasible, indefatigable, impingement and 184 more...
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Quaintnesses
For those who wish no words were ever forgotten
opprobrium, tedium, encomium, odium, ire, enmity, beguile, wile, brazen, popinjay, squit, hoity-toity and 1161 more...
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3LW
3 letter words, not the girl band.
boggle and speed scrabble would not be half as fun without them.aah, boa, dot, fun, ick, log, oca, pyx, sos, was, aal, bob and 342 more...
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Stumbled Words
A list of words that I stumbled upon while reading.
penumbra, prolix, propitious, resplendence, sepulchral, Weltschmerz, apparition, brigand, probity, chalice, paroxysm, pallor and 160 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for ire.

madmouth nominal form of the adjective 'irate' Apr 10, 2009