Friday, January 17, 2014

outrageous, outrages

Outrageous or outrageous describes something that is grossly offensive or shocking--
That was an outrageous comment! You should apologize!
They thought the movie was outrageous, and left after several minutes.
"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune..."

Outrageous may also mean very unconventional or unusual--
He loves to say outrageous things; he always hopes to shock people.
She has an outrageous manner when meeting new people; they always remember her.

Outrages or outrages is the plural ( more than one ) of "outrage", meaning a gross offense or injury--
Please call the police if you have information regarding the perpetrators of these outrages.
The outrages of the last war seem to have been forgotten.

Outrages is also the third person singular ( he, she, it ) of "outrage", meaning to commit a gross offense or injury--
He outrages everyone within earshot with his foul language.
Their ignorant philosophy outrages most people, especially when it is used to explain crime and violence.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was fired because of his outrageous comment about the recent outrages against civilians."

Note--"outrage us" ( two words ) might make part of a sentence--
His comments were meant to outrage us.

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