dudgeon

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

Example 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 Beck is in a state of high dudgeon, because there’s a big shipment due and two of his drivers are AWOL. Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025 Close’s game, canny performance of reliving her own past couldn’t quite obscure the ungainliness of some of Webber’s songs, the dudgeon and occasional monotony of the sung-through score, or the strain of trying to generate plot friction in a story with only four major characters. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024 But the movement is flummoxed now that its style of one-way dialogue and high-dudgeon shaming is provoking sharp backlash from illiberal strongmen, right-wing populists, and the mass constituencies that support these strongmen around the globe. Jack Snyder, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2022 Beck is in a state of high dudgeon, because there’s a big shipment due and two of his drivers are AWOL. Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dudgeon
Noun
  • Getty Images To date, the post has amassed more than 900 comments from TikTok viewers, many of them poking fun at the golden retriever mother's annoyed expression and shallow huffs.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
  • The chute opens, and rambunctious No. 2 bursts out with an impatient huff.
    Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Pressure to release more documents has built both from within Trump's base and from Democrats seizing on their anger.
    Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • Several hundred people turned out at the state Capitol with creative signs and chanting to express their anger at Trump and his policies.
    Stephanie Murray, AZCentral.com, 17 July 2025
Noun
  • That indignation, those headlines, the praise for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s bravery and leadership cooling dramatically since those early days–in Europe and America.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • In a matter of minutes seven women were united in indignation.
    Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Having a catastrophic season in 2024 with 8-9 as opposed to the 11-6 record in 2023 is something that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross might take umbrage with.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
  • Clearly, there are those who are taking umbrage with Marvel releasing a series that is based around the new-age Iron Man.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • That move has divided GOP lawmakers — including many who see Trump as simply airing his frustration with the Fed’s choice to leave interest rates unchanged amid shifting tariff policy.
    Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 22 July 2025
  • Other operators have expressed similar frustration, and some members of Congress have signaled support for an overhaul.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • As Trump supporters press for more information, the president weighed in over the weekend to defend Bondi and express exasperation at the focus on Epstein.
    Brett Samuels, The Hill, 14 July 2025
  • There also has to be a sense of exasperation as nearly every reliever in the bullpen, and a couple who’ve already been sent down, have been a part of their struggles.
    Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • The answer comes quickly: In a typical moment of obsessive pique, Dennis uses lab equipment to build a coffee-brewing setup and tries to get on the teachers’ good sides by serving up their super-complicated orders.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 July 2025
  • Acuña showed his pique and his immaturity by lashing out on social media rather than discussing this directly with his manager.
    Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dudgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dudgeon. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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