furor means A general uproar or commotion. It carries an Arena rating of 1678, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, furor ranks #129 of 13,272 for Most Vivid Words, #338 of 13,272 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #406 of 13,272 for Scariest Words, #1,197 of 13,272 for Most Malleable Words.
furor is pronounced /ˈfjʊəɹɔː/.
Why “furor” is a great word
A state of intense public excitement, anger, or commotion. From Middle English furour, from Middle French fureur, from Old French furor, from Latin furor ("rage, madness, passion"), from furō ("to rage, to be mad"). Unlike fury, which denotes a personal, often violent wrath, or commotion, which suggests a noisy disturbance but may lack passionate heat, a furor is a collective fever, a social seizure of the mind. It is the feverish scramble of a mob outside a courthouse, the deafening din of a protest chant taken up by a thousand throats, and the brittle crackle of a scandal spreading through headlines and whispers—the temporary madness of the crowd, a reminder that civilization is a thinner veneer than we suppose.
Etymology
From Middle English furour, from Middle French fureur, from Old French furor, from Latin furor, from furō (“To rage, to be out of one's mind”).
noun
- A general uproar or commotion.“This action created a furor in the broader medical community. It was considered undoctorly, unprofessional, illegal, and an infringement on the right to practice.”
- Violent anger or frenzy.“The verdict of not guilty created a true furor in the courtroom.”
- A state of intense excitement.“The story of the princess's affair caused a furor among journalists.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.