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anger

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈæŋɡɝ// UK //ˈæŋɡɐ// anger Archaic General-service

n. a strong feeling of being annoyed or unhappy because you think something is wrong or unfair. It can make you want to shout or react strongly.

n. a strong emotion of displeasure and antagonism, typically triggered by a perceived wrong or injustice. Uncountable when referring to the general emotion; countable when referring to specific manifestations or types.


SIMPLE

His voice is full of anger.

CONTEXTUAL

She feels a surge of anger when people are treated unfairly.

COMPLEX

His initial flash of anger often gives way to a more reflective sadness as he considers the long-term consequences of a betrayal.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English anger (“grief, pain, trouble, affliction, vexation, sorrow, wrath”), from Old Norse angr, ǫngr (“affliction, sorrow”) (compare Old Norse ang, ǫng (“troubled”)), from Proto-Germanic angazaz (“grief, sorrow”), from Proto-Indo-European h₂enǵʰ- (“narrow, tied together”). Cognate with Danish anger (“regret, remorse”), Norwegian Bokmål anger (“regret, remorse”), Swedish ånger (“regret”), Icelandic angur (“trouble”), Old English ange, enge (“narrow, close, straitened, constrained, confined, vexed, troubled, sorrowful, anxious, oppressive, severe, painful, cruel”), German Angst (“anxiety, anguish, fear”), Latin angō (“squeeze, choke, vex”), angor (“strangulation; anguish, torment”) (whence the English doublet angor), Albanian ang (“fear, anxiety, pain, nightmare”), Avestan 𐬄𐬰𐬀𐬵 (ązah, “strangulation; distress”), Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “I squeeze, strangle”), Sanskrit अंहस् (aṃhas), अंहु (aṃhu, “anxiety, distress, affliction”, literally “narrowness”). Also compare with English anguish, anxious, quinsy, and perhaps to awe and ugly. The word seems to have originally meant “to choke, squeeze”. The verb is from Middle English angren, angeren, from Old Norse angra. Compare with Icelandic angra, Norwegian Nynorsk angra, Norwegian Bokmål angre, Swedish ångra, Danish angre.

Usage

Commonly followed by prepositions like 'at' (for a situation or thing) or 'towards' (for a person).

Pitfall

He showed his angry.He showed his anger.Learners often confuse the noun 'anger' with the adjective 'angry'.

Idioms1 entry

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