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Is there a word to describe irrational anger in a similar way that phobia is used to describe irrational fear?

AverageMarcus
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9 Answers9

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There's temper, or more specifically, ill-temper.

Temper can refer to a tendency to become unreasonably angry. If you’re not sure whether you have a temper, ask your friends — but don’t get mad if you dislike what they have to say. (Vocabulary.com)

'Temper' is versatile. It can refer to the tendency to become angry, like the definition says; as well as the state of being angry.

A synonym I like that would be apt here is

spleen

  1. Bad temper; spite (Oxford)

It comes from the old belief that the organ spleen was what caused anger. If your temper causes you to lash out at someone, you're venting your spleen.

Tushar Raj
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A blind rage is where someone is acting in an infuriated manner, coupled with a lack of control or self awareness.

Joe flew into a blind rage when he found out his son had broken his favourite saucer that he'd had since childhood. When he'd calmed down he apologised for acting out of character, and took his son to get ice cream.

dwjohnston
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5

Perhaps, fury or furious

fury noun

1 a. violent anger; rage.

b. A fit of anger: "I went into a fury and shouted in his face" (William Least Heat-Moon).

2. a. violent or frenzied action: the storm's fury. b. a violent disturbance or intense period of activity: "The Huns ... moved into Italy, unleashing a fury of destruction" (Arther Ferrill).

3. in Greek & Roman Mythology, any of the spirits who pursue and torment the doers of unavenged crimes, identified with the Greek Erinyes.

[Middle English furie, from Old French, from Latin furia, from furere, to rage.]

(The Free Dictionary)

furor (n.) "rage, madness, angry mania," late 15c., from Middle French fureur (12c.), from Latin furor "a ravaging, rage, madness, passion," which is related to furia "rage, passion, fury" (see fury).

furious (adj.) late 14c., "impetuous, unrestrained," from Old French furios, furieus "furious, enraged, livid" (14c., Modern French furieux), from Latin furiosus "full of rage, mad," from furia "rage, passion, fury" (see fury). Furioso, from the Italian form of the word, was used in English 17c.-18c. for "an enraged person," probably from Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso."

infuriate (v.) 1660s, from Italian infuriato, from Medieval Latin infuriatus, past participle of infuriare "to madden," from Latin in furia "in a fury," from ablative of furia (see fury). Related: Infuriated; infuriating; infuriatingly.

(etymonline)

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    Hugh did say Fury earlier. So many suggestions. It's hard to notice. – Avon Jul 02 '15 at 21:52
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    @Avon - My "fury" includes additional and diverse information. –  Jul 02 '15 at 21:53
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    It is a better answer for it. I don't know what the etiquette is in such cases. I was thinking of answering with 'wrath' (just because it's an evocative word) but caoimhe has really said it. – Avon Jul 02 '15 at 21:56
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    @Avon - the other answer that includes "fury" opens with phobia, -philia, -mania, moves on to road-rage and hate-crime, and ends with "fury". On the other hand, my sole answer is "fury" with linked dictionary definitions, and examples of usage. The etiquette is that one answer should be, in some significant manner, different from the other. –  Jul 02 '15 at 22:01
  • @Avon - it's difficult to know what the OP is really looking for. I posted a question to OP about this, but it's not likely to be answered, at least in a timely manner (for me). –  Jul 02 '15 at 22:04
  • I've just realised: when I said "It is a better answer for it." I meant yours and that was, of course, not at all clear. – Avon Jul 02 '15 at 23:22
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-phobia, -philia, -mania, seem to be out on their own for compound words

road-rage and

hate-crime ::seem like improvisations to fill the gap.

But fury is nearly out of control:

On 28 March 2013, Lewandowsky published "Recursive fury: Conspiracist ideation in the blogosphere in response to research on conspiracist ideation" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan_Lewandowsky

Hugh
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wrath is extreme anger. Not necessarily out of control but can be.

If the anger is vengeful then I would recommend it as appropriate. It has an almost onomatopoeic timbre.

Example definition:

noun
: extreme anger

Full Definition of WRATH
1: strong vengeful anger or indignation
2: retributory punishment for an offense or a crime : divine chastisement

(merriam-webster)

Avon
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  • We're in the basement, brother. :- ( –  Jul 02 '15 at 23:24
  • @LittleEva I hear that's where the Tenacious badge can be found. – Avon Jul 02 '15 at 23:34
  • "*Now that my ladder's gone, I must lie down where all ladders start, In the foul, rag and bone shop of the heart." ---Robert Bly –  Jul 02 '15 at 23:37
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hissy fit (noun):

  • an angry outburst; temper tantrum ODO

'I screamed and kicked the furniture and threw a hissy fit.'

  • a sudden period of uncontrolled and silly anger, like a child's CDO

  • an outburst or display of excited anger MW

'The demanding diva had a major hissy fit when she had to wait for her trailer to be ready.'

strop (noun, British informal):

  • a bad mood; a temper ODO

'Nathalie gets in a strop and makes to leave.'

  • a bad mood, especially one in which a person will not do what they are asked and is unpleasant to other people CDO

'Don't go in unless you have to; he's in a real strop.'

Julie Carter
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If you're looking for a construction with which to build neologisms, perhaps consider the etymology of misogyny and misandry. In both cases, they are formed from the greek prefix misos-, meaning hatred. Misos+gyne = hatred of women. Misos+andr = hatred of men. Misos+anthropos = hatred of people. In current uses, these are all considered specifically irrational hatreds.

You could conceivably then build misarachnia (hatred of spiders) or misopodia (hatred of feet?). Being a prefix is awkward though as you'd end up having to add -ia or -alia, the suffixes for "concerning", to make pleasing words. Mislexicalia possibly, for the hatred of words, or misphilatelia, for the hatred of stamps.

If course, you'll have to contend with the notion that irrational hatreds really are usually rooted in fear. So while mysogyny won over gynophobia, homophobia† is already well established and likely wouldn't yield any room for mishomoalia or even mishominy? Wait, is that the irrational hatred of nixtamalized corn?

† as an aside, shouldn't that have always been at least homosexophobia? Who's afraid of things that are merely the same? Or rather, if I am afraid of uniformity I feel like I have been robbed of a way of conveying such to other people.

Janus Bahs Jacquet
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Chris Subagio
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  • This is the closest to what I was looking for. Thank you. If I was going for a single word (rather than a prefix) I think @tushar-raj has convinced me of Temper. – AverageMarcus Jul 04 '15 at 05:46
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Hysteria, or hysterical attacks may be examples of irrational, uncontrollable outburst of rage:

  • an uncontrollable emotional outburst, as from fear or grief, often characterized by irrationality, laughter, weeping, etc.

  • behaviour exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic.

The Free Dictionary

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  • "Given the traditional understanding of anger as a male emotion and hysteria as associated with women, it may come as a surprise to us that this hysterical patient is a man, one feminised by his hysteria as a result of repressing his rage." Statistical Panic, Kathleen Woodward 2009 – Hugh Jul 02 '15 at 20:51
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    In fairness, I wouldn't associate hysteria with anger. Could you give an example sentence demonstrating this usage? – dwjohnston Jul 02 '15 at 21:46
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    I agree with @dwjohnston. I would associate hysteria with fear, not anger. The Hulk is anything but hysterical. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jul 02 '15 at 22:04
  • @JanusBahsJacquet - what makes you think that anger may not be the result of fear? –  Jul 02 '15 at 22:19
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    It can be. But so can sweat, and you wouldn’t say that hysteria means ‘sweat’, either. Fear and anger are related notions, but words for one do not necessarily mean the other. All the examples you quote are related to fear and do not mention anger at all; and even if anger is present in a hysterical attack, it is not the sole or main aspect. Since the question is asking specifically for a word that relates to anger as opposed to fear, giving a word that relates mainly to fear and only secondarily (sometimes) to anger seems inadequate. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jul 02 '15 at 22:23
  • Please read my answer : "hysterical attacks may be examples of irrational, uncontrolled outbursts of rage". –  Jul 02 '15 at 22:26
  • This can be a somewhat difficult question to answer as the OP has not expressed whether they seek a noun, adjective, or both. There is, of course "hysterical anger" and "hysterical laughter." –  Jul 02 '15 at 23:02
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Consider "delirium".

  1. usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion often accompanied by hallucinations

2.state of violent mental agitation

3.a frenzy of emotion; as for something unattainable

Synonyms:craze, frenzy, fury, hysteria Type :nympholepsy

And if you’ve ever stayed up all night writing a paper or working hard to meet some deadline, you’ve probably experienced moments of delirium, where you feel crazed and hallucinatory, fueled by sleep deprivation and too much coffee.

(vocabulary.com)

Misti
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  • delirium is more about the internal state of mind, rather than external behaviour. Somebody could probably be quietly delirious, without anyone noticing anything, whereas anger is usually a more engaging state. Origin: delirare — to leave a straight line, be mad, from lira — line cut in the ground. I assume that be mad here signifies a mental disorder rather than intense anger. – ccpizza Jul 03 '15 at 16:32