fury
B2Formal, Literary, Emotional.
Definition
Meaning
Extreme, wild, or violent anger.
An intense, unrestrained, and often destructive force or passion; sometimes personified as a vengeful figure.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"Fury" implies an intensity beyond common anger, often suggesting temporary loss of control or a powerful, storm-like emotion. It can be used both for human emotion and as a personification (e.g., the Furies of Greek myth).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning. Slightly more common in UK literary contexts.
Connotations
Equally strong in both varieties.
Frequency
Comparable frequency; perhaps a marginal preference for "furious" (adj.) over "fury" (n.) in casual US speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
fury at/over sthfury with sbfury that + clauseVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “like fury (intensely)”
- “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in extreme contexts: "The CEO's fury over the leaked report was palpable."
Academic
Used in literary criticism, history, psychology: "The fury of Achilles is a central theme."
Everyday
For extreme emotional reactions: "She reacted with fury when she saw the damage."
Technical
Can be used metaphorically in sciences: "the fury of the storm."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Not applicable as a standard verb. (Archaic: 'to fury' = to be furious.)
American English
- Not applicable as a standard verb.
adverb
British English
- Not applicable. The adverb is 'furiously'.
American English
- Not applicable. The adverb is 'furiously'.
adjective
British English
- Not applicable. The adjective is 'furious'.
American English
- Not applicable. The adjective is 'furious'.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He was full of fury when his toy broke.
- She could not hide her fury at the unfair decision.
- The government's new policy was met with public fury and widespread protests.
- Critics unleashed their fury on the director for his historically inaccurate portrayal of events.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
FURY sounds like 'FIRE YOU' – imagine someone yelling it in extreme anger.
Conceptual Metaphor
ANGER IS A HOT FLUID IN A CONTAINER ("boiling with fury"), ANGER IS A WILD ANIMAL ("unleash his fury"), ANGER IS A STORM ("the full fury of the gale").
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with "ярость" (correct) and "бешенство" (more like rabies/frenzy). "Fury" is intense but not necessarily insane. "Фурия" is a direct borrowing but refers specifically to mythological figures.
Common Mistakes
- Using "fury" for mild irritation (overstatement). Confusing "fury" (n) with "furious" (adj). Incorrect preposition: "fury on him" instead of "fury with him".
Practice
Quiz
Which of these phrases uses 'fury' CORRECTLY?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Fury' is a much stronger, more intense, and often less controlled form of anger. 'Anger' is the general term; 'fury' is at the extreme end of the scale.
Rarely. It typically describes destructive anger. However, 'righteous fury' can imply morally justified anger against injustice.
No, not in modern standard English. The verb form is archaic. Use 'to be furious' or 'to rage'.
Common patterns are: 'fury at/over something', 'fury with/towards someone', and 'fury that + clause' (e.g., fury that he had lied).