outrage
gb/ˈaʊtɹˌeɪd͡ʒ/ us/ˈaʊtɹˌeɪd͡ʒ/
B2
English
~ 7000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
state
1
strong anger at unfairness or cruelty
A very strong feeling of angry shock because something is unfair, cruel, or very wrong.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s outrage at/over [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'outrage' (the feeling) with 'outrageous' (an adjective meaning very shocking or very wrong). For the feeling, use 'outrage': 'There was outrage over the decision.' For the adjective, use 'outrageous': 'The decision was outrageous.' Also, learners may forget the common prepositions 'at', 'over', or 'about' after 'outrage'.
Synonyms
indignation (More formal; focuses on anger caused by something morally wrong or unfair.)
|
fury (Stronger word; suggests intense, possibly uncontrolled anger, not always about injustice.)
|
anger (More general and common; does not always include the idea of moral shock.)
Antonyms
acceptance (Suggests calmly agreeing to or living with a situation instead of reacting with shock and anger.)
|
approval (Shows a positive reaction, the opposite of being shocked and angry about something.)
Collocations
public outrage
|express outrage
|spark outrage
|cause outrage
|outrage at
|moral outrage
Themes
emotions
|society
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There was widespread public outrage at the decision to release the corrupt officials.
- Her outrage grew as she read more details about the company’s treatment of its workers.
- The comments caused outrage among parents, who called for the coach to be fired.
- Online outrage quickly spread after the video of the incident was posted.
- He could not hide his outrage at the way the victim was blamed.
Learner examples
- The news about the dirty water caused great outrage in the town.
- People showed their outrage by marching in the streets.
- She felt strong outrage when she saw how the animals were hurt.
- There was a lot of public outrage after the unfair trial.
- His comment on social media led to outrage from many users.
Noun
B2
event
2
extremely unfair or shocking act
A very unfair, cruel, or offensive act or situation that makes people feel shocked and angry.
Usage pattern:
an outrage against/on [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense (the bad action or situation) with the feeling of anger it causes. Compare: 'The decision is an outrage.' (the thing is very wrong) vs. 'There is outrage about the decision.' (people feel very angry). Word order is also important: say 'an outrage against human rights', not 'a human rights outrage against'.
Synonyms
atrocity (Often used for extremely violent or cruel acts, especially in war; usually stronger than 'outrage'.)
|
disgrace (Emphasizes shame and loss of respect more than the emotional shock.)
|
scandal (Focuses on public shock and talk, especially about immoral or illegal behavior.)
Antonyms
justice (Represents fair and morally right treatment, the opposite of an extremely unfair act.)
Collocations
an outrage
|an outrage against justice
|an outrage against human rights
|a moral outrage
|a shocking outrage
Themes
society
|law
|ethics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Keeping children in such dangerous conditions is an outrage against basic human rights.
- Many people called the new law an outrage and demanded that it be repealed.
- The low wages paid to the workers are an outrage in such a rich country.
- It is an outrage that victims have to wait years for compensation.
- The judge described the attack as an outrage that shocked the whole community.
Learner examples
- The long wait for clean water is an outrage.
- Many people said the new rule was an outrage.
- The poor care in the hospital is an outrage to the city.
- They called the unfair trial an outrage against justice.
- Some think the high price of medicine is an outrage.
Verb
C1
action
3
deeply shock and anger someone
To make someone feel very shocked and very angry because something is unfair, cruel, or offensive.
Usage pattern:
to outrage [someone] / be outraged by/at [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often use 'outrage' as a verb only in active form and forget the common passive pattern: 'be outraged by/at something' (e.g., 'People were outraged by the decision'). They may also mix it with the adjective 'outrageous': you say 'The decision outraged people' (verb) or 'The decision was outrageous' (adjective), not 'The decision was outrage' for this sense.
Synonyms
offend (Can be milder; often about hurting feelings, not always strong moral shock.)
|
appall (Focuses strongly on horror and shock, sometimes more than on anger.)
|
enrage (Focuses on making someone extremely angry, not necessarily shocked by injustice.)
Antonyms
please (Means to make someone feel happy or satisfied, opposite of shocking and angering them.)
|
reassure (Means to make someone feel calmer and less worried or upset, counter to causing outrage.)
Collocations
outrage customers
|outrage public opinion
|be outraged by
|be outraged at
|outrage moral sensibilities
Themes
emotions
|society
|communication
Examples
- The company’s decision to cut sick leave outraged many employees.
- Viewers were outraged by the racist remarks in the live broadcast.
- She was outraged at the way the police treated the protesters.
- The plan to demolish the historic building outraged local residents.
- Parents were outraged when they learned how the school had handled the bullying case.
Learner examples
- The new tax law outraged many people.
- Fans were outraged by the high ticket prices.
- She was outraged at the unfair result.
- The video outraged people all over the world.
- Customers were outraged by the bad service.
Grammar
Dictionary form
outrage
IPA
GB/ˈaʊtɹˌeɪd͡ʒ/
US/ˈaʊtɹˌeɪd͡ʒ/
Syllables & stress
out - rage (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (out)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: outrage
- Plural: outrage, outrages
Verb
- Base: outrage
- 3rd Person Singular: outrages
- Present Participle: outraging
- Past: outraged
Word family
Forms
outrages
noun
outraging
verb
outraged
verb
Core family
outrageous
adjective B2
Related words
outrageously
adverb
Advanced or less common
outrageousness
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.