Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'infuriate'

English Word: infuriate

Key Russian Translations:

• раздражать [rɐzdrɐˈʐatʲ] - [Informal, commonly used in everyday conversations]
• возмущать [vəzmʊˈʂatʲ] - [Formal, often in written or official contexts]
• разгневать [rɐzɡnʲɪˈvatʲ] - [Literary or emphatic, used for intense anger]

Frequency: Medium (The word and its translations appear regularly in modern Russian media, literature, and daily speech, but not as ubiquitous as basic verbs.)

Difficulty: B1 (Intermediate; requires understanding of verb conjugations and emotional nuances. For 'раздражать', it's B1; for 'возмущать', it might edge toward B2 due to formal contexts.)

Pronunciation (Russian):

раздражать: [rɐzdrɐˈʐatʲ]

возмущать: [vəzmʊˈʂatʲ]

разгневать: [rɐzɡnʲɪˈvatʲ]

Note on раздражать: The 'ж' sound (as in [ʐ]) is a soft, voiced fricative; non-native speakers often confuse it with 'zh' in English. Stress falls on the third syllable.

Note on возмущать: Pronunciation can vary slightly in fast speech; ensure the 'у' is pronounced as a short [ʊ].

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: To provoke extreme anger or irritation in someone.

Translation(s) & Context:

• раздражать - Used in informal settings, such as personal arguments or everyday annoyances (e.g., in casual conversations about daily life).
• возмущать - Applied in formal or public contexts, like social issues or ethical debates (e.g., in news or official statements).
• разгневать - Reserved for intense, dramatic situations, often in literature or emotional narratives (e.g., historical or fictional accounts).

Usage Examples:

• Его слова раздражали меня весь день. (His words infuriated me all day.)

  Translation: His words infuriated me all day. (This example shows 'раздражать' in a personal, everyday context with a simple verb tense.)

• Несправедливость в обществе возмущает многих людей. (Injustice in society infuriates many people.)

  Translation: Injustice in society infuriates many people. (Illustrates 'возмущать' in a broader, formal social context, highlighting its use with abstract nouns.)

• Его действия разгневали толпу на митинге. (His actions infuriated the crowd at the rally.)

  Translation: His actions infuriated the crowd at the rally. (Demonstrates 'разгневать' in a dramatic, public scenario, often with plural subjects.)

• Постоянный шум от соседей раздражал её, заставляя нервничать. (The constant noise from the neighbors infuriated her, making her nervous.)

  Translation: The constant noise from the neighbors infuriated her, making her nervous. (Shows 'раздражать' in a causative structure with additional emotions.)

• Коррупция в правительстве возмущает и молодых, и старых. (Corruption in the government infuriates both the young and the old.)

  Translation: Corruption in the government infuriates both the young and the old. (Exemplifies 'возмущать' with a wide demographic, emphasizing its formal tone.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

These translations are primarily verbs, which in Russian undergo conjugation based on tense, aspect, person, and number. Russian verbs have imperfective and perfective aspects; for example, 'раздражать' is imperfective, while 'разгневать' is perfective. Below is a table for 'раздражать' (imperfective) and its perfective counterpart where applicable.

For 'возмущать', it follows similar patterns but is less commonly used in informal speech. 'Разгневать' is perfective and irregular in some contexts, meaning it doesn't have a full present tense form like imperfectives. These verbs do not change for gender in the infinitive but do in past tense forms.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • бесить (more informal, implies strong irritation)
  • досадовать (subtle, often self-directed anger)
  • выводить из себя (idiomatic, literally "to lead out of oneself", used for extreme frustration)
• Antonyms:
  • успокаивать (to calm)
  • умиротворять (to pacify, more formal)

Related Phrases:

• Вывести из себя - Literally "to lead out of oneself"; used to describe something that infuriates someone completely. (Common in emotional outbursts.)
• Раздражать нервы - "To irritate the nerves"; refers to something that causes ongoing frustration. (Often in health or psychological contexts.)
• Возмущать общественное мнение - "To infuriate public opinion"; used in discussions of scandals or controversies. (Formal, media-related phrase.)

Usage Notes:

In Russian, 'раздражать' is the most direct equivalent to 'infuriate' in informal settings, but it can sometimes imply milder irritation rather than rage—use it cautiously for intense anger. 'Возмущать' is better for formal or collective contexts, such as politics, where 'infuriate' might describe widespread outrage. When choosing between translations, consider the aspect: imperfective for ongoing actions (e.g., 'раздражать' for habitual annoyance) and perfective for completed ones (e.g., 'разгневать'). Always pair with appropriate subjects and objects to maintain grammatical agreement, as Russian verbs change based on person and number.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using 'раздражать' in formal writing as a direct synonym for 'infuriate', which can sound too casual. Correct: Opt for 'возмущать' in such contexts. Example of error: *Его речь раздражала аудиторию* (His speech infuriated the audience) – Better: Его речь возмущала аудиторию. Explanation: 'Возмущать' conveys a more structured, public anger.
• Mistake: Forgetting verb aspects, e.g., using 'раздражать' for a one-time event. Correct: Use the perfective 'разгневать' for completed actions. Example of error: *Я раздражал его вчера* (meaning ongoing) – Better: Я разгневал его вчера. Explanation: This ensures the verb reflects the action's completion, avoiding confusion in tense.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, expressions of anger like those translated from 'infuriate' often tie into the concept of 'душевное равновесие' (emotional balance). Historically, Russian literature (e.g., Dostoevsky) portrays anger as a deep, introspective emotion, so words like 'возмущать' might carry a philosophical weight, reflecting societal critiques rather than mere personal irritation.

Related Concepts:

• гнев (anger)
• раздражение (irritation)
• возмущение (outrage)
• эмоциональный всплеск (emotional outburst)