IRE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does ire mean? 

• IRE (noun)
  The noun IRE has 2 senses:

1. a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

2. belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong (personified as one of the deadly sins)

  Familiarity information: IRE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IRE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

anger; choler; ire

Hypernyms ("ire" is a kind of...):

emotion (any strong feeling)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ire"):

fury; madness; rage; enragement; infuriation (a feeling of intense anger)

offence; offense; umbrage (a feeling of anger caused by being offended)

indignation; outrage (a feeling of righteous anger)

huffiness (a passing state of anger and resentment)

dander; hackles (a feeling of anger and animosity)

bad temper; ill temper (a persisting angry mood)

annoyance; chafe; vexation (anger produced by some annoying irritation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong (personified as one of the deadly sins)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

anger; ira; ire; wrath

Hypernyms ("ire" is a kind of...):

deadly sin; mortal sin (an unpardonable sin entailing a total loss of grace)

 Context examples 

I felt pain, and then I felt ire; and then I felt a determination to subdue her—to be her mistress in spite both of her nature and her will.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

The breakfast-room was gay with company; and she was named to them by the general as the friend of his daughter, in a complimentary style, which so well concealed his resentful ire, as to make her feel secure at least of life for the present.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

I knew the steely ire I had whetted.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Had I attended to the suggestions of pride and ire, I should immediately have left him; but something worked within me more strongly than those feelings could.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Pain, shame, ire, impatience, disgust, detestation, seemed momentarily to hold a quivering conflict in the large pupil dilating under his ebon eyebrow.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

My habitual mood of humiliation, self-doubt, forlorn depression, fell damp on the embers of my decaying ire.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Eliza and Georgiana, evidently acting according to orders, spoke to me as little as possible: John thrust his tongue in his cheek whenever he saw me, and once attempted chastisement; but as I instantly turned against him, roused by the same sentiment of deep ire and desperate revolt which had stirred my corruption before, he thought it better to desist, and ran from me tittering execrations, and vowing I had burst his nose.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)