Indignation is the sharp, heated anger you feel when something strikes you as deeply unfair or wrong. It's anger mixed with moral outrage, the feeling that your sense of justice has been violated.

When a teacher unfairly blames someone for something they didn't do, you might feel indignation on that person's behalf. When you discover that someone has been lying to you or treating others cruelly, that burning feeling of “this is absolutely not right” is indignation. It's the emotion that makes you want to speak up, to say “Stop! This isn't fair!”

Indignation often arises when you witness injustice happening to yourself or others. You might feel indignant (the adjective form) when rules are applied inconsistently, when someone takes credit for another person's work, or when a bully picks on someone smaller. The word suggests righteous anger: you're not mad because you didn't get your way, but because something genuinely wrong has occurred.

People often express indignation through their voice and posture, speaking firmly, standing straighter, and looking someone directly in the eye. While anger can be destructive, indignation often pushes people to stand up for what's right, defend others, or demand fair treatment.