fury

noun

fu·​ry ˈfyu̇r-ē How to pronounce fury (audio)
ˈfyər-
plural furies
1
: intense, disordered, and often destructive rage
2
a
capitalized : any of the avenging deities in Greek mythology who torment criminals and inflict plagues
b
: an avenging spirit
c
: one who resembles an avenging spirit
especially : a spiteful woman
3
: extreme fierceness or violence
4
: a state of inspired exaltation : frenzy

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Dire Straits and Furies

Dire and fury share a history in Roman mythology, as each of these words is connected to the Erinyes, the avenging and terrifying deities of ancient myth who tormented criminals. The Romans referred to these goddesses as either the Dirae or the Furiae. The former is from the Latin word dirus, from which dire is descended, and the latter comes from furere, from where we get fury. The word dire is often found in conjunction with straits; in dire straits is used of a situation that is very bad or difficult. Our records indicate that this phrase began to be used in English at the end of the 18th century, when it appeared in Francis Fawkes’s The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius: “When now the heroes through the vast profound, Reach the dire straits with rocks encompass’d round.”

Choose the Right Synonym for fury

anger, ire, rage, fury, indignation, wrath mean an intense emotional state induced by displeasure.

anger, the most general term, names the reaction but by itself does not convey cause or intensity.

tried to hide his anger

ire, more frequent in literary contexts, suggests an intense anger, often with an evident display of feeling.

cheeks flushed with ire

rage and fury suggest loss of self-control from violence of emotion.

shook with rage
could not contain his fury

indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful.

a comment that caused general indignation

wrath is likely to suggest a desire or intent to punish or get revenge.

I feared her wrath if I was discovered

Examples of fury in a Sentence

I could see the fury in her eyes. Nothing could contain his fury over their accusations. He turned away from them in fury. The hurricane unleashed its fury on hundreds of homes and businesses.
Recent Examples on the Web Ellen Burstyn’s Alice is nuanced and messy, deftly moving between melancholy, fury, and lighthearted playfulness. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 Eventually, Berkoff couldn’t stand it any longer and, in a fury hightailed it to LAX in a rental car that bore the dents of his anger, leaving the production without a Goldberg. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 The battle over federal health care data Hell hath no fury like a health care researcher scorned. Bob Herman Reprints, STAT, 20 Feb. 2024 And there’s no denying the speed and fury with which MacKinnon charges toward an opponent’s net. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 18 Feb. 2024 My supervisors are completely oblivious to my dilemma and fury, for now. Roxane Gay, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 Rafael Amaya, reprising his iconic role as the ruthless drug lord Aurelio Casillas, unleashed the full force of his character's fury in the premiere, with his return to the hit series driving momentum. Veronica Villafañe, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 Gory details of the murder leaked to the press, and a wave of fury engulfed the Saudis, who were already being criticized for their indiscriminate bombing campaign in Yemen. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024 Hell hath no fury… Carmen Machi and Antonio de la Torre lead a fine cast. John Hopewell, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fury.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English furie, from Latin furia, from furere to rage

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fury was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fury

Cite this Entry

“Fury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fury. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fury

noun
fu·​ry ˈfyu̇(ə)r-ē How to pronounce fury (audio)
plural furies
1
: violent anger
threw the vase in a fury
2
a
capitalized : one of the avenging spirits of classical mythology
b
: a violently angry person
3
: wild and dangerous force
the fury of the storm

More from Merriam-Webster on fury

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