outrage

Everyday

1. noun: A very strong feeling of anger and shock because something seems deeply unfair or wrong. tree →
2. noun: An act that is so cruel, wrong or shocking that it makes people very angry: "The attack was an outrage." tree →
3. verb: To make people feel very angry and shocked. tree →

In the lessons

In the news "outrage" shows that many people are angry about something, such as an unfair rule or a cruel act. In stories it shows a character's strong anger at injustice. In everyday talk someone may say "It's an outrage!" a bit jokingly about small things. Phrases: public outrage, in outrage, cause outrage, express outrage, be outraged by.

Examples

• There was outrage when the council closed the library. tree →
• "It's an outrage!" shouted Dad when the price of crisps went up again. tree →
• The fans were outraged by the referee's decision. tree →
• Burning the forest was an outrage against nature. tree →
• People wrote letters to show their outrage. tree →
• She gasped in outrage when her brother ate her birthday cake. tree →
• The cruel treatment of the animals outraged the whole village. tree →
• Katoma submitted patiently to the outrage. tree →

Note

Noun "outrage" is usually uncountable for the feeling (much outrage) but countable for a single act (an outrage, outrages). Adjective: outrageous (very shocking, or very silly: an outrageous hat). It is not "out" + "rage" in meaning "rage outside"; it comes from old French and means "going beyond the limit".