Adjectives for Angry: A Comprehensive Guide

Adjectives for angry range from mild to extreme: annoyed, irritated, cross, frustrated (mild); angry, mad, upset, indignant, resentful (clear anger); and furious, livid, enraged, irate, seething, incensed (strong). Choose by how intense the anger is, whether it is loud or hidden, and whether it is a mood or a person’s nature (short-tempered, irritable). Below are the words in groups with example sentences, a quick picker, how anger shows in the face and body, prepositions that trip people up, and a short practice.

Quick picker

Mild anger

• annoyed – the everyday word for mild anger. I was annoyed that the bus was late again.
• irritated – annoyed by something repeated or small. The constant beeping left everyone irritated.
• cross – mildly angry; common in British English, often with children. Mum was cross because we’d tracked mud in.
• put out – a little offended. She seemed put out that nobody asked her opinion.
• miffed – informal, slightly offended. He was miffed at not being invited.
• grumpy – in a bad mood, complaining. He’s always grumpy before his coffee.

Frustrated and fed up

These words describe anger that comes from being blocked: things keep going wrong and you cannot fix them.

• frustrated – I’m frustrated with this printer; it jams every third page.
• exasperated – very frustrated, at the end of your patience. “For the last time, take your shoes off,” said her exasperated father.
• fed up – tired of a situation. Residents are fed up with the noise from the building site.
• sick of / tired of – informal, same idea. I’m sick of waiting.

Clear anger

• angry – neutral, works everywhere. Fans were angry about the ticket prices.
• mad – American and informal for angry; in British English it more often means crazy. Are you mad at me?
• upset – angry or sad, or both; softer than angry. She was upset when he forgot her birthday.
• displeased – formal, controlled. The board was displeased with the results.
• indignant – angry because something is unfair. He was indignant at being accused of cheating.
• outraged – shocked and angry at something wrong. Parents were outraged by the decision to close the library.
• resentful – angry over a long time about unfair treatment. She grew resentful of doing all the housework.
• bitter – angry and hurt, often for years. He is still bitter about losing the election.
• hostile – unfriendly and ready to argue or fight. The crowd turned hostile.

For an even longer list of similar words, see our page of adjectives for mad.

Very strong anger

• furious – extremely angry. She was furious when she found the dent in her car.
• livid – so angry you could explode; informal-neutral. The coach was livid after the referee’s decision.
• irate – very angry, often used for customers and callers. An irate customer demanded a refund.
• incensed – made very angry by something; formal. Voters were incensed by the tax rise.
• enraged – filled with rage. The enraged bull charged the fence.
• fuming – very angry, often not saying much. He sat in the car, fuming.
• raging – violently angry; also used for fires and storms. A raging argument broke out next door.
• apoplectic – so angry you can hardly speak; humorous or literary. My father was apoplectic when he saw the phone bill.
• berserk – wild, out of control, usually in go berserk. The dog went berserk when the postman arrived.

Quiet or hidden anger

Not all anger is loud. These words suit a character who is angry but holding it in.

• seething – very angry inside, not showing it fully. She smiled at the guests, seething.
• simmering – anger that is building slowly. There was simmering resentment between the two departments.
• sullen – silent and bad-tempered. A sullen teenager stared at his plate.
• sulky – silent and in a bad mood because you didn’t get what you wanted.
• tight-lipped – saying nothing, mouth pressed shut. He listened, tight-lipped, and then left.
• icy / frosty – cold, controlled anger. She gave him an icy stare.
• passive-aggressive – shows anger indirectly. a passive-aggressive note about the washing-up

Angry as a personality trait

• short-tempered / quick-tempered – gets angry fast.
• hot-headed – acts angrily without thinking.
• irritable – easily annoyed. Lack of sleep makes me irritable.
• cantankerous – bad-tempered and argumentative, often used of older people, sometimes affectionately.
• belligerent – aggressive, ready to fight.
• volatile – unpredictable, may suddenly become angry.
• touchy – easily offended. He’s touchy about his height.

How anger looks and sounds

In writing, the body often shows anger better than a label. Useful adjectives and phrases:

• red-faced, flushed, purple with rage – He was red-faced and shouting.
• clenched (jaw, fists) – She spoke through clenched teeth.
• narrowed (eyes) – His narrowed eyes followed me across the room.
• trembling (voice, hands) – anger can shake the voice too.
• clipped, curt, terse (speech) – a curt reply: “Fine.”
• stony (silence, face) – a stony silence

For expressions in general, our page of adjectives for face has more.

Describing the atmosphere around an angry person

Sometimes you want to describe the room, not the person. These adjectives work well for a tense scene:

• tense – The atmosphere at dinner was tense; nobody mentioned the letter.
• charged / electric – ready to explode. The meeting room felt charged.
• heated – used for arguments and discussions. a heated debate
• frosty – cold and unfriendly. a frosty reception
• awkward / uncomfortable – what everyone else feels. There was an awkward silence after he walked out.

Anger in work emails and complaints

At work, strong anger words usually backfire. Professional writing turns the heat down and states the problem:

• Instead of I’m furious about the delay: I’m very disappointed by the delay and need a new date by Friday.
• Instead of This is outrageous: This is not acceptable, and I’d like to understand what happened.
• Useful words: disappointed, concerned, dissatisfied, frustrated, unhappy with.

In a story, of course, the opposite is true: livid and seething are exactly what a scene of conflict needs.

Prepositions with anger words

• angry / annoyed / furious / mad with or at a person: I’m angry with you. She was furious at her brother.
• angry / annoyed / upset about a situation: angry about the delay
• frustrated with a thing or person: frustrated with the software
• indignant at, outraged by, incensed by: outraged by the verdict
• fed up with: fed up with excuses

Extreme words like furious and livid go with absolutely, not very: absolutely furious.

Words that are easy to misuse

• Mad: in British English, He’s mad usually means crazy. Add at to make anger clear: He’s mad at me.
• Aggravated traditionally means “made worse” (an aggravated injury). Using it for “annoyed” is common in speech, but irritated is safer in formal writing.
• Irate is strong. Do not use it for mild annoyance.
• Angry is the feeling; angrily is the adverb: She answered angrily, not She answered angry (in formal writing).
• Hateful means causing hatred or being full of it; it is not just a strong form of angry.

Common mistakes

“Fed up of” is very common in British speech, but “fed up with” is the safer choice in exams and formal writing.

Practice

1. The customer shouted down the phone. He was (irate / miffed).
2. She said nothing, but inside she was (seething / cheerful).
3. I’ve tried to log in ten times. I’m so (frustrated / indignant).
4. He gets angry at the smallest thing. He’s (short-tempered / tight-lipped).
5. They were (outraged / annoyed) by the cruelty shown in the video.
6. I’m angry (with / on) you.

Answers: 1 irate, 2 seething, 3 frustrated, 4 short-tempered, 5 outraged, 6 with.

FAQ

What is a stronger word for angry?

Furious, livid, enraged, irate and incensed.

What is the difference between angry and upset?

Upset covers sadness and hurt as well as anger, so it sounds softer and more personal. Angry is only about anger. If a friend says “I’m upset”, they may want comfort rather than an apology for a specific wrong.

What is a polite word for angry?

Upset, displeased, frustrated, concerned (in business emails), or not happy about.

Anger sits beside many other feelings; see adjectives for emotional states.

Checked against Merriam-Webster, the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Spotted an error? Tell us — see our editorial policy.