Filled with intense anger or fury. It describes a state of extreme anger that often involves loss of rational control and powerful urges for action or retaliation.
From Old French 'enragier,' literally meaning 'to make rabid,' from 'rage' (fury, madness). The connection to rabies emphasizes the wild, uncontrolled nature of extreme anger that emerged in English usage by the 14th century.
Rage is anger's most primitive form - it bypasses our prefrontal cortex and floods us with stress hormones that prepare us for combat. Interestingly, enraged people often report feeling 'beside themselves,' which accurately describes how rage temporarily hijacks our usual personality and decision-making processes.
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