Five angry words

Irate: If you’re irate, you’re just plain mad. This isn’t a word used much anymore, is it? It seems old fashioned, or a word the TV news anchor might use. Or maybe retail customers. Example: “The woman was irate that they served her cold French fries, so she dumped them on the counter.”

Indignant: this is kind of a tough one to pin down. It brings to mind someone in London acting rather, oh let’s see—miffed. Indignant can be cited as a “feeling, characterised by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base: indignant remarks; an indignant expression on his face.”

Offended: It feels like it’s easier than ever to be offended. Why? Because now there are multiple platforms to be offended on. Just pull out a hashtag and before you know it, bam! Offended. A totally fictional example: “I celebrate a particular holiday, so when I went to get coffee I was offended that the cups aren’t also celebrating it.” Are you really offended, or do you just feel like tossing that out there to see if it gets a reaction?

Sullen: It is a low profile variant of anger. While anger usually manifests itself it rather demonstrative fashion, if you’re sullen, you’re power-moping. “He sat sullenly in the corner, avoiding eye contact with everyone else.” Gloomy is a nice cousin word.

Uptight: This word has a decidedly retro feel to it. Sure enough, our definition shows it to be a 1960-1965 Americanism. Turn on the Brady Bunch, and Greg says “Man, Dad was really uptight because I got home after midnight!” We define this slang adjective as “tense, nervous, or jittery.”