Wrath and Wroth Are Noun and Adjective
Wrath is extreme anger. Its adjective wroth is now rare, and the pair follows an old English pattern.
Wrath is extreme anger, usually with a sense of righteous or divine judgment. Its adjective is *wroth*, now archaic — the pair follows the same pattern as *sloth* and *slow*, where the noun takes a different vowel. Wrath is one of the seven deadly sins, and the word carries a weight that *anger* does not. The root is the same as *writhe*, from the idea of a body twisted by rage. Steinbeck's *The Grapes of Wrath* takes its title from a hymn.
- Extreme anger. *Divine wrath.*
- Wroth — the adjective. *Wroth.*
- A deadly sin. *One of seven.*
- Writhe — the same root. *Writhe.*
- Old English — *wræththu*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wrath | Wrath. |
| Adjective | wroth | Wroth. |
| Adjective | wrathful | Wrathful. |
| Related | writhe | Writhe. |
| Old English | wrath | Angry. |
- He feared his father's wrath.Anger.
- Wroth is now archaic.Adjective.
- Wrath is one of the seven sins.Tradition.
The seven deadly sins
- Pride — traditionally the root of the others
- Greed, lust and envy
- Gluttony and sloth
- Wrath — anger uncontrolled
- The list was fixed by Gregory the Great in the sixth century
Old English *wræththu*, anger, from *wrath*, angry, related to *writhe*.
What is the adjective for wrath?
Wroth, now archaic. The vowel change follows the same pattern as slow and sloth.
Are wrath and writhe related?
Yes. Both come from a root meaning to twist, from the image of a body contorted by rage.