wrathful

adjective

wrath·​ful ˈrath-fəl How to pronounce wrathful (audio)
 chiefly British  ˈrȯth-
1
: filled with wrath : irate
2
: arising from, marked by, or indicative of wrath
wrathfully
ˈrath-fə-lē How to pronounce wrathful (audio)
 chiefly British  ˈrȯth-
adverb
wrathfulness noun

Examples of wrathful in a Sentence

in a wrathful voice she demanded to know what had happened
Recent Examples on the Web That 1991 platform worried both Washington and many of the island’s voters, who then and now, have shunned any move toward formal independence, fearing a wrathful reaction from Beijing. Amy Chang Chien Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024 For example, this cleanser imbues pimples with a conscious mind and wrathful spirit, compelling them to destroy their creator in a grisly bloodbath of unfathomable agony. Ysabel Yates, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2023 Ants’ ears hurt with each bullet fired from wrathful machine guns. Mosab Abu Toha, The Atlantic, 9 Nov. 2023 So for the benefit of everyone who has to work with MRI, here is a devotional litany which might just keep your scanner from getting wrathful at the crucial moment. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2010 What comes next might have been Logan’s raging-on-the-heath moment, the embittered cry of an alienated patriarch, but instead of wrathful he is uncharacteristically resigned. Brandon Taylor, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2023 Like Hotei, Daikokuten underwent significant transformations in Japan, from a wrathful protector to a jolly god of wealth. Megan Bryson, The Conversation, 4 Jan. 2023 His story seemed to confirm the existence of a wrathful nemesis stalking the family. James Lasdun, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2023 Kapogiannis asks me 70 in all, covering subject matter from God as being angry and wrathful to God as being loving, with a variety of topics in between. David Ewing Duncan, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2019

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

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrathful was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near wrathful

Cite this Entry

“Wrathful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrathful. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wrathful

adjective
wrath·​ful ˈrath-fəl How to pronounce wrathful (audio)
1
: filled with wrath : very angry
2
: showing wrath
a wrathful expression
wrathfully adverb
wrathfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wrathful

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