DUDGEON Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

dudgeon

noun

as in huff

the feeling of being offended or resentful after a slight or indignity stomped off in high dudgeon after having his honor questioned

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dudgeon distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of dudgeon are huff, offense, pique, resentment, and umbrage. While all these words mean "an emotional response to or an emotional state resulting from a slight or indignity," dudgeon suggests an angry fit of indignation.

stormed out of the meeting in high dudgeon

When would huff be a good substitute for dudgeon?

The words huff and dudgeon are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, huff implies a peevish short-lived spell of anger usually at a petty cause.

in a huff he slammed the door

When could offense be used to replace dudgeon?

Although the words offense and dudgeon have much in common, offense implies hurt displeasure.

takes deep offense at racial slurs

When is it sensible to use pique instead of dudgeon?

The synonyms pique and dudgeon are sometimes interchangeable, but pique applies to a transient feeling of wounded vanity.

in a pique I foolishly declined the invitation

Where would resentment be a reasonable alternative to dudgeon?

The words resentment and dudgeon can be used in similar contexts, but resentment suggests lasting indignation or ill will.

harbored a lifelong resentment of his brother

In what contexts can umbrage take the place of dudgeon?

The meanings of umbrage and dudgeon largely overlap; however, umbrage may suggest hurt pride, resentment, or suspicion of another's motives.

took umbrage at the offer of advice

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dudgeon Instead, the high dudgeon now heard in Tennant’s fey voice gives too much weight to the smugness of group-thinkers. —

Armond White, National Review, 18 Sep. 2024 Truth Social, meanwhile, is its own, strange creature: a social media platform born out of Donald Trump’s dudgeon at being banned from Facebook and Twitter due to his posts on those platforms. —

Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024 But some Angelenos took their picket signs and their dudgeon to City Hall. —

Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023 His appeal lies in the contrast between this tone of absolute sincerity, which often escalates into high dudgeon, and the nature of his obsessions, which run toward jarring combinations of the stupefyingly mundane and the elaborately scatological. —

Colin Marshall, The New Yorker, 17 June 2022 Dederer is at her best on such complicities—her own fondness for assholes, our cultural fascination with monsters—and less convincing when in a dudgeon, or deploying her feelings and experiences as intellectual credentials. —

Laura Kipnis, The New Republic, 5 May 2023 The antics of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers — whipped into high dudgeon by right-wing politicians who generally wear masks and are fully vaccinated — set off progressives, some of whose worst tendencies are sneering, condescension and sanctimoniousness. —

Greg Jefferson, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Dec. 2021 Radek Sikorski was in high dudgeon, and rightly so. —

Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 13 Oct. 2021 On Thursday, the asymmetrical reaction from the two parties — with Democrats in high dudgeon and Republicans relatively muted — hinted at how the two sides may approach the issue in the midterm campaign. —

Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dudgeon

Noun

Volunteers were charged around 25 cents per huff, bringing in good profit for those who’d invested in the necessary gas tanks, tubes, and breathing bags.

Oshan Jarow, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
The huffs and hums, produced by two women standing face-to-face and vocalizing from their throats, is believed to be one of the oldest music forms in the world.

Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2024