1
Angry customer or citizen
Showing intense displeasure about treatment or service.
Example
Irate passengers demanded an explanation for the unexplained cancellation.
irate
/aɪˈreɪt/ · eye-RAYTadjective
Extremely angry.
Use irate for intense, openly expressed anger, especially in response to a perceived mistake or injustice.
What irate Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Furious response
Marked by forceful expression of anger.
Example
The editor received an irate letter challenging the correction.
3
Moment of indignation
Temporarily enraged by a perceived wrong.
Example
Residents became irate when the promised consultation was cancelled.
Use irate Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Irate passengers demanded an explanation for the unexplained cancellation.
The editor received an irate letter challenging the correction.
Residents became irate when the promised consultation was cancelled.
Precision Matters
Irate overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
irate
vs.Describes anger, not firmness of position.
adamant
Describes refusal to change a position.
irate
vs.Describes emotional intensity at a moment.
capricious
Describes unpredictable change driven by whim.
irate
vs.Expresses present anger.
ominous
Suggests future harm or danger.
irate
vs.Shows intense anger.
benevolent
Shows kindness and goodwill—the contrast.
Test irate in Context
The customers display intense anger after repeated errors.
1
After three months of unexplained billing errors, customers were ___ and demanded that the company refund the charges immediately.