incur wrath

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "incur wrath" is correct and commonly used in written English.
It means to provoke or receive anger and retribution from someone or something. Example: The politician's controversial statement incurred the wrath of the public and led to widespread outrage and protests.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Thanks to such tact, self-help memoirs are less likely to incur wrath and lawsuits.

The New York Times - Books

Like politicians, who build up trust by acting like members of the family only to incur wrath when they are revealed to be careerist and self-interested, companies may find themselves on an emotional roller coaster.

The New Yorker

Public officials incur wrath and criticism at a show of emotions, but an equal amount of criticism for holding them back.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

What did Salon's Alex Pareene write that provoked the easily incurred wrath of Donald Trump?

The New Yorker

Women have a spectrum of choices, and we should be at ease talking about works for us with candor, without fear of incurring wrath for stepping outside the sanctioned vocabulary of how women should live their lives.

The New York Times

When you do something out of frustration and anger, even it is to make someone else feel good, then the person on the receiving end just feels like they are the recipient of your incurred wrath.

WikiHow

"Am I going to incur the wrath of feminist organizations?

The New York Times

Kowalski came to incur the wrath of the fans.

The New York Times - Sports

usgolftv.com Banana republic Pre-Peeled Bananas incur the wrath of humanity.

Independent

"You have to be willing to incur the wrath of the users," she said.

The New York Times - Tech

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly is not the first journalist to incur the wrath of Donald Trump.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Think of "incur wrath" as more formal than "make someone angry". It suggests a consequence or result of one's actions.

Common error

Avoid using "incur wrath" when describing minor annoyances or disagreements. It's better suited for situations where actions lead to strong, often public, expressions of anger or disapproval.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "incur wrath" functions as a verb phrase where "incur" acts as a transitive verb taking "wrath" as its direct object. As Ludwig AI confirms, it describes the action of becoming subject to someone's anger.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "incur wrath" is a phrase that describes provoking or experiencing strong anger as a consequence of one's actions. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and relatively low frequency. It is most commonly found in news and media contexts and carries a neutral tone. While grammatically sound, consider the intensity of the emotion it conveys and explore alternative phrases like "provoke anger" or "invite fury" depending on the desired nuance.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

provoke anger

Focuses on the act of causing anger.

invite fury

Highlights the intensity of the anger being caused.

arouse displeasure

Emphasizes a milder form of anger or dissatisfaction.

trigger outrage

Focuses on causing widespread and intense anger.

face backlash

Suggests a strong, negative reaction in response to an action or statement.

court hostility

Suggests deliberately provoking anger or animosity.

draw criticism

Implies a more reasoned or public form of anger, often in the form of disapproval.

earn condemnation

Implies a formal or official expression of strong disapproval.

encounter resistance

Emphasizes the opposition or pushback resulting from an action.

rile up

Informal way of saying to provoke to anger.

FAQs

What does "incur wrath" mean?

The phrase "incur wrath" means to provoke or receive strong anger or indignation as a consequence of one's actions or words.

How can I use "incur wrath" in a sentence?

You might say, "The politician's decision to raise taxes "incurred wrath" from voters" or "By defying the king, he "incurred wrath" and was banished".

What are some alternatives to saying "incur wrath"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "provoke anger", "arouse displeasure", or "invite fury".

Is "incur wrath" a formal or informal expression?

The expression "incur wrath" leans toward the formal side. More informal alternatives might include "make someone mad" or "rile someone up".