Do you know what the word indignation means? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word indignation, including its meaning, usage, synonyms, origin, and more!
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According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word indignation is a noun which refers to negative feelings, scornful displeasure, or another discrete emotion. This could be the effect of anger at social environments or the behavior of others, strong displeasure felt in social emotions, or the behaviors or reactive emotion of anger. Indignation can be felt for a variety of reasons, from pride, to judgments, to mistreatment and cruel tortures. The word indignation is four syllables – in-dig-na-tion, and the pronunciation of indignation is ɪndɪgneɪʃən.
According to Asking Lot, the word indignation is used in Christian doctrines as well. There is a concept called “righteous indignation,” which is considered the only form of anger which is not sinful. For example, in one illustration in the book of Esther, When Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate at the temple, he was full of indignation against Mordecai because he stood not up, nor moved for him. He believed this was unfair treatment. This is also used in Kings, Isaiah, and Corinthians, according to Webster’s Dictionary. Particularly, the word indignation references the wrath of God against sinful men for their ingratitude, unfair treatment and rebellion and can be mingled with contempt, disgust or abhorrence.
Many different languages also contain words that mean indignation. You may notice that some of these words look and sound similar to each other. These are called cognates, which are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin like Latin or Greek. This list of translations of indignation is provided by Word Sense. Indignant also has related words that include undignified, indignant, indign, dignify, and deign. These cover a variety of different parts of speech including an adjective, verb, and noun.
There are many different words that one can use in place of the word indignation. These words are called synonyms. Synonyms are words that mean the same thing as a given word or phrase, and that can be used interchangeably. One might choose to use a synonym to expand their own vocabulary, to avoid repeating themselves, or to choose a word that makes the most sense for the context. The below list of synonyms for the word indignation is provided by Power Thesaurus.
aversion
offenses
irritability
annoyance
insult
malice
gall
antagonism
angriness
disgruntlement
resentments
ill temper
huffiness
acrimony
bile
animus
fume
unhappiness
dissatisfaction
discontent
boiling point
vexations
chagrin
bother
miff
tantrum
bitterness
injury
spleen
embitterment
ire
discontentment
dudgeon
high dudgeon
conniption fit
disfavor
virulence
irritation
disapproval
offence
irascibility
annoyances
hissy fit
outcry
outrage
birse
protest
blackball
bad feelings
grudge
distaste
anger
bad mood
soreness
aggravation
ill feelings
peevishness
envy
outburst
umbrage
pique
scorn
offense
affront
ill humor
outrages
temper
complaint
resentment
infuriation
irritations
indignant
ill feeling
irateness
rancor
hostility
fury
personal displeasure
choler
passion
hatred
vexation
impatience
mad
wrath
slow burn
displeasure
wrathfulness
animosity
crossness
rage
rages
provocation
opprobrium
acerbity
disapprobation
petulance
enmity
antipathy
exasperation
hate
frenzy
But what if someone wanted to use a word that meant the opposite of indignation? In this case, they would use an antonym, or opposite word. An antonym is a word or phrase that means the opposite of a given word or phrase. The below list of antonyms for indignation is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
awesome admiration
great admiration
veneration
support
complacency
liking
pleasure
tremendous admiration
answer
compensation
custom
homage
acclaim
glee
greatest admiration
sanction
deference
admiration
acceptance
honour
love
appreciation
enjoyment
dulia
affection
full of admiration
compliments
adoration
approval
craving
utmost admiration
great respect
endorsement
comfort
contentment
okay
patience
plaudits
cheerfulness
pats on the back
clearance
awe
tributes
accolades
utmost respect
peacetime
consensus
self-control
convenience
flattery
accord
approbation
joy
comfortableness
commendation
lot of admiration
profound admiration
certainty
praise
respect
welfare
estimation
applause
cheer
high regard
allowance
satisfaction
regard
favour
happiness
calmness
agreement
great deal of admiration
recognition
ratification
compliment
harmony
adulation
delectation
calm
esteem
worship
content
consent
great appreciation
affinity
extolment
contentedness
amuse
charm
unanimity
peace
coziness
delight
What is the origin of the word indignation?
According to Etymonline, the word indignation has been used since the year 1200 as the Middle English indignacioun. This comes from the Old French indignation as well as the Latin indignationem, which is the nominative form of the Latin indignatio/indignātiōn. The Latin indignatio/Latin indignātiō is a form of the verb indignare, the past participle of indignārī (perfect passive participle indignatus) and is related to the Latin adjective indignus. This comes from the Latin dignus and Proto Indo European root dek no, which means to take or accept.
Overall, the word indignation means a self-righteous anger or feeling of revenge. Intense indignation can be felt for a variety of reasons. One might regard a person they do not like with indignation. Have you ever felt indignation toward a person or thing? If so, how did you combat your emotions? Try using this word of the day in a sentence today!
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.