enrage

Enrage is a transitive verb meaning to make someone extremely angry — to fill them with fury rather than mere irritation. It sits at the top end of the anger spectrum: you might annoy a colleague or irritate a friend, but you enrage someone when their response is genuine, burning rage. The word typically appears either actively ('the ruling enraged voters') or in the passive ('voters were enraged by the ruling'), often followed by prepositions such as 'by', 'at', or 'with'. Its register leans formal and journalistic, making it a staple of news writing about scandals, injustices, and controversial decisions, while everyday conversation tends to favour words like 'furious' or 'livid'. Derived from French 'enragier', from 'rage', it transparently signals its own meaning: the person it acts upon is put into a state of rage.

To make someone extremely angry; to provoke intense fury.

Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.

Etymology of enrage

Enrage entered English in the late 16th century, borrowed from French 'enragier', formed from the prefix 'en-' plus 'rage'. 'Rage' itself traces back through Old French to the Latin 'rabies', meaning madness or fury, which also gives English 'rabid' and 'rabies'. Cognates within English include 'outrage' (from Old French 'ultrage') and 'rampage', all sharing the underlying sense of uncontrolled frenzy or violence.

How enrage is actually used

A fairly formal or literary verb; in everyday speech people more often say 'made furious', 'infuriated', or 'livid'. It is strongly transitive — it takes the angered person as its direct object. The passive ('was enraged') is very common, often followed by 'by', 'at', 'with', or a that-clause.

Easily confused with enrage

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Words and phrases paired with enrage

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Rhymes with enrage