Indignant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈdɪɡ.nənt/

Definitions

1. Feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment
2. Angered and offended by treatment deemed unjust or disrespectful
3. Experiencing strong displeasure and resentment toward perceived insulting or unfair conduct

Etymology: The adjective "indignant" began as a verb-based idea: in Latin, "indignor" meant to consider something unworthy of oneself, and so to be angry or displeased at it. The sense of anger is already in the Latin, so English inherited a word that carried a built-in judgment that something was beneath respect or fairness. The Latin verb is built from "in-", a prefix that negates, attached to "dignor", meaning "to deem worthy", which comes from "dignus", "worthy". So at its root the word is a negation of worthiness: you feel indignant when you see something that does not deserve to be treated as it is. That origin explains the modern sense. Anger alone does not make someone indignant; the feeling depends on the conviction that a wrong has been done, which is why the word is so closely tied to unfairness today.

Synonyms: outraged, angry, offended, irate, displeased

Antonyms: content, pleased, satisfied, calm, unconcerned