What does wroth mean?
Wroth is an old-fashioned English adjective meaning angry, furious, or filled with indignation, usually because of a perceived injustice or wrong. It has a formal, elevated tone and appears far more often in literature, historical writing, and ceremonial language than in ordinary conversation. Because of that rarity, wroth can add color and intensity to a sentence, suggesting anger that is stern, powerful, or strongly felt rather than merely casual irritation. The word survives from Old English and is related to the noun wrath, which names anger itself. While wroth is also used figuratively for an angry expression or manner, its central meaning remains that of a person being intensely angry. In contemporary writing, careful synonyms such as furious, irate, or incensed may be more immediately familiar, but wroth is valuable when an author wants to convey formal indignation, historical atmosphere, or heightened emotion.
adjectiveAngry or filled with intense anger or indignation, especially at a perceived wrong. The word is chiefly literary or archaic.
- Angry, filled with anger, or indignant, especially about a perceived wrong.
"The king was wroth when he learned that the treaty had been broken."
"By dusk, the minister was wroth with those who had delayed the relief effort."
"The old herald spoke in a wroth voice, denouncing the invaders."
Wroth is an Old English survivor now found mostly in stories and speeches, where it adds the heat of formal anger.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does wroth come from?
Modern wroth developed through Middle English from the Old English wroþ, meaning “angry,” with the modern spelling reflecting later forms such as wrothe and wrooth. It belongs to the same Germanic family as the noun wrath and has parallels in words for anger or anger-related qualities in Old Norse and Old High German. The modern adjective has largely yielded to “angry” and its synonyms, but it remains established in literary and archaic English.
Related word forms
How wroth is actually used
Chiefly literary, archaic, or ceremonial in modern English. It is markedly more formal than “angry” and is uncommon in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with wroth
Wroth is an adjective meaning angry, while wrath is a noun meaning anger or deep indignation.