indignation
/ˌɪn.dɪɡˈneɪ.ʃən/noun
indignation is spelled I-N-D-I-G-N-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, indignation means “An anger aroused by something perceived as an indignity, notably an offense or injustice” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of indignation is indignations.
How many letters and syllables are in indignation?
| Letters | 11: I-N-D-I-G-N-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,092nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is indignation?
Indignation appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce indignation?
- /ˌɪn.dɪɡˈneɪ.ʃən/
Indignation has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-indignation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indignation
- indignations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indignation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An anger aroused by something perceived as an indignity, notably an offense or injustice.
He protested in indignation.
- 2
A self-righteous anger or disgust.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indignation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense anger aroused by some perceived offense or injustice:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | indignation |
| German | Empörung, Entrüstung |
| Portuguese | indignação |
| Spanish | indignación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does indignation come from?
From Middle English indignacioun, borrowed from Old French indignation, from Latin indignātiō, from indignor (“to scorn, resent”), from indignus (“unworthy, not fitting”), from in- (“not”) + dignus (“worthy, appropriate”). Attested since ca. 1374. Doublet of indignatio.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).