Angry vs. Cross — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 6, 2024
Angry is a strong emotional response involving annoyance and hostility, while cross is a milder form of anger, often marked by irritation or frustration.
Difference Between Angry and Cross
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Angry is an intense emotional state characterized by feelings of displeasure and antagonism, often resulting from perceived wrongs or threats. Whereas, cross describes a less intense feeling of annoyance that might not carry the same level of hostility or potential for aggression.
When someone is angry, they may experience physical reactions such as increased heart rate, heightened senses, and a readiness to confront the source of their anger. On the other hand, being cross might involve a more subdued reaction, like a frown or an irritable tone, without the intense physical or emotional arousal.
The triggers for feeling angry can be significant and deeply personal, such as betrayal or injustice. Conversely, feeling cross often results from minor irritations or everyday frustrations, like being stuck in traffic or dealing with minor inconveniences.
Expressing anger can result in loud, emphatic communication, like shouting or arguing. In contrast, when someone is cross, their expression might come through as sarcasm, a sharp comment, or silent sulking.
In terms of resolution, anger might require more effort to manage and resolve, often needing an apology, discussion, or a cooling-off period. Whereas, the feeling of being cross can sometimes be quickly resolved with a simple change of situation or a brief moment of venting.
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Comparison Chart
Intensity
High, with strong hostility
Milder, more related to irritation
Physical Reactions
Increased heart rate, agitation
Mild, like frowning or an irritable tone
Common Triggers
Injustices, betrayal, significant wrongs
Minor annoyances, everyday frustrations
Expression
Shouting, arguing
Sarcasm, sharp comments, sulking
Resolution
May require significant effort
Often resolved quickly or simply
Compare with Definitions
Angry
Expressing or characterized by anger.
His angry tone made everyone step back.
Cross
Annoyed or irritable.
She felt cross after waiting for an hour.
Angry
Inclined to act in a hostile manner.
The crowd grew angry after the announcement.
Cross
Inclined to short bouts of anger.
He's always a bit cross before his morning coffee.
Angry
Feeling strong displeasure and hostility.
She was angry when she discovered the broken vase.
Cross
Characterized by a slight degree of anger.
His cross remarks hinted at his impatience.
Angry
Aroused to action by anger.
He became angry enough to confront his manager.
Cross
Expression of mild anger.
A cross look was all it took to silence the room.
Angry
Resulting from or showing anger.
An angry letter was sent in response to the decision.
Cross
A mild response to frustration.
She replied in a cross tone due to the disruption.
Angry
Feeling or showing strong annoyance, displeasure, or hostility; full of anger
Why are you angry with me?
I'm angry that she didn't call me
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally.
Angry
Feeling or showing anger; incensed or enraged
Angry at my boss.
Angry with her.
Cross
A mark, object, or figure formed by two short intersecting lines or pieces (+ or ×)
Place a cross against the preferred choice
Angry
Indicative of or resulting from anger
An angry silence.
Cross
An upright post with a transverse bar, as used in antiquity for crucifixion.
Angry
Having a menacing aspect; threatening
Angry clouds on the horizon.
Cross
An animal or plant resulting from cross-breeding; a hybrid
A Galloway and shorthorn cross
Angry
Chiefly New England & Midland US Inflamed and painful
An angry sore.
Cross
A pass of the ball across the field towards the centre close to one's opponents' goal
Beckham's low cross was turned into the net by Cole
Angry
Displaying or feeling anger.
His face became angry.
An angry mob started looting the warehouse.
Cross
Go or extend across or to the other side of (an area, stretch of water, etc.)
A shadow of apprehension crossed her face
Two paths crossed the field
We crossed over the bridge
She has crossed the Atlantic twice
Angry
(said about a wound or a rash) inflamed and painful.
The broken glass left two angry cuts across my arm.
Cross
Pass in an opposite or different direction; intersect
The two lines cross at 90°
Angry
Dark and stormy, menacing.
Angry clouds raced across the sky.
Cross
Draw a line or lines across; mark with a cross
Voters should ask one question before they cross today's ballot paper
Angry
Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous.
God had provided a severe and angry education to chastise the forwardness of a young spirit.
Cross
(of a person) make the sign of the cross in front of one's chest as a sign of Christian reverence or to invoke divine protection
Beatie crossed herself quickly at the mention of the dead
Angry
Inflamed and painful, as a sore.
Cross
Pass (the ball) across the field towards the centre when attacking
He could not get to the line to cross the ball
Powell crossed from the left
Angry
Touched with anger; under the emotion of anger; feeling resentment; enraged; - followed generally by with before a person, and at before a thing.
Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves.
Wherefore should God be angry at thy voice?
Cross
Cause (an animal of one species, breed, or variety) to breed with one of another species, breed, or variety
Many animals of the breed were crossed with the closely related Guernsey
Angry
Showing anger; proceeding from anger; acting as if moved by anger; wearing the marks of anger; as, angry words or tones; an angry sky; angry waves.
Cross
Oppose or stand in the way of (someone)
No one dared cross him
Angry
Red.
Sweet rose, whose hue, angry and brave.
Cross
Annoyed
He seemed to be very cross about something
Angry
Sharp; keen; stimulated.
I never ate with angrier appetite.
Cross
An upright post with a transverse piece near the top, on which condemned persons were executed in ancient times.
Angry
Feeling or showing anger;
Angry at the weather
Angry customers
An angry silence
Sending angry letters to the papers
Cross
Often Cross The cross upon which Jesus was crucified.
Angry
(of the elements) as if showing violent anger;
Angry clouds on the horizon
Furious winds
The raging sea
Cross
A crucifix.
Angry
Severely inflamed and painful;
An angry sore
Cross
Any of various modifications of the cross design, such as a Latin cross or Maltese cross.
Cross
A medal, emblem, or insignia in the form of a cross.
Cross
Cross The Christian religion; Christianity.
Cross
(Christianity) The sign of the cross.
Cross
A trial, affliction, or frustration.
Cross
A mark or pattern formed by the intersection of two lines, especially such a mark (X) used as a signature.
Cross
A movement from one place to another, as on a stage; a crossing.
Cross
A pipe fitting with four branches in upright and transverse form, used as a junction for intersecting pipes.
Cross
(Biology) A plant or animal produced by crossbreeding; a hybrid.
Cross
One that combines the qualities of two other things
A novel that is a cross between romance and satire.
Cross
A hook thrown over an opponent's punch in boxing.
Cross
A pass made into the center of the field to a player in position to score, especially in soccer.
Cross
(Law) An act or instance of cross-examining; a cross-examination.
Cross
The Southern Cross.
Cross
(Slang) A contest whose outcome has been dishonestly prearranged.
Cross
To go or extend across; pass from one side of to the other
Crossed the room to greet us.
A bridge that crosses the bay.
Cross
To carry or conduct across something
Crossed the horses at the ford.
Cross
To extend or pass through or over; intersect
Elm Street crosses Oak Street.
Cross
(Sports) To propel (a ball or puck) as a cross, as in soccer.
Cross
To delete by drawing a line through
Crossed tasks off her list as she did them.
Cross
To eliminate or dismiss as unimportant or undesirable
“He thought about Mr. Fraser and crossed him off as an unknown quantity” (Scott O'Dell).
Cross
To make or put a line across
Cross and divide a circle.
Cross
To place crosswise one over the other
Cross one's legs.
Cross
To make the sign of the cross upon or over as a sign of devotion or blessing.
Cross
To encounter in passing
His path crossed mine.
Cross
To combine the qualities of two things
A movie that crosses horror with humor.
Cross
To interfere with; thwart or obstruct
Don't cross me.
Cross
To betray or deceive; double-cross. Often used with up.
Cross
(Biology) To crossbreed or cross-fertilize (plants or animals).
Cross
(Law) To cross-examine.
Cross
To lie or pass across each other; intersect.
Cross
To move or extend from one side to another
Crossed through Canada en route to Alaska.
Cross
To make a crossing
Crossed into Germany from Switzerland.
Cross
To meet in passing; come into conjunction
Their paths crossed at the health club.
Cross
To move or be conveyed in opposite directions at the same time
Our letters must have crossed in the mail.
Cross
(Biology) To crossbreed or cross-fertilize.
Cross
Lying or passing crosswise; intersecting
A cross street.
Cross
Contrary or counter; opposing.
Cross
Showing ill humor; annoyed.
Cross
Involving interchange; reciprocal.
Cross
Crossbred; hybrid.
Cross
Crosswise.
Cross
Across.
Cross
A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
Put a cross for a wrong answer and a tick for a right one.
Cross
(heraldry) Any geometric figure having this or a similar shape, such as a cross of Lorraine or a Maltese cross.
Cross
A wooden post with a perpendicular beam attached and used (especially in the Roman Empire) to execute criminals (by crucifixion).
Criminals were commonly executed on a wooden cross.
Cross
(Christianity) Usually with the: the cross on which Christ was crucified.
Cross
(Christianity) A hand gesture made in imitation of the shape of the Cross.
She made the cross after swearing.
Cross
(Christianity) A modified representation of the crucifixion stake, worn as jewellery or displayed as a symbol of religious devotion.
She was wearing a cross on her necklace.
Cross
(figurative, from Christ's bearing of the cross) A difficult situation that must be endured.
It's a cross I must bear.
Cross
The act of going across; the act of passing from one side to the other
A quick cross of the road.
Cross
(biology) An animal or plant produced by crossbreeding or cross-fertilization.
Cross
(by extension) A hybrid of any kind.
Cross
(boxing) A hook thrown over the opponent's punch.
Cross
(football) A pass in which the ball is kicked from a side of the pitch to a position close to the opponent’s goal.
Cross
A place where roads intersect and lead off in four directions; a crossroad (common in UK and Irish place names such as Gerrards Cross).
Cross
A monument that marks such a place. (Also common in UK or Irish place names such as Charing Cross)
Cross
(obsolete) A coin stamped with the figure of a cross, or that side of such a piece on which the cross is stamped; hence, money in general.
Cross
Church lands.
Cross
A line drawn across or through another line.
Cross
(surveying) An instrument for laying of offsets perpendicular to the main course.
Cross
A pipe-fitting with four branches whose axes usually form a right angle.
Cross
(Rubik's Cube) Four edge cubies of one side that are in their right places, forming the shape of a cross.
Cross
(cartomancy) The thirty-sixth Lenormand card.
Cross
(slang) crossfire.
Cross
Transverse; lying across the main direction.
At the end of each row were cross benches which linked the rows.
Cross
(archaic) Opposite, opposed to.
His actions were perversely cross to his own happiness.
Cross
Opposing, adverse; being contrary to what one would hope or wish for.
Cross
Bad-tempered, angry, annoyed.
She was rather cross about missing her train on the first day of the job.
Please don't get cross at me. (or) Please don't get cross with me.
Cross
Made in an opposite direction, or an inverse relation; mutually inverse; interchanged.
Cross interrogatories
Cross marriages, as when a brother and sister marry persons standing in the same relation to each other
Cross
(nautical) Of the sea, having two wave systems traveling at oblique angles, due to the wind over shifting direction or the waves of two storm systems meeting.
Cross
(archaic) across
She walked cross the mountains.
Cross
Cross product of the previous vector and the following vector.
The Lorentz force is q times v cross B.
Cross
To make or form a cross.
Cross
To place across or athwart; to cause to intersect.
She frowned and crossed her arms.
Cross
To lay or draw something across, such as a line.
To cross the letter t
Cross
To mark with an X.
Cross the box which applies to you.
Cross
To write lines of text at right angles to and over the top of one another in order to save paper.W
Cross
To make the sign of the cross over oneself.
Cross
(transitive) To make the sign of the cross over (something or someone).
Cross
To move relatively.
Cross
(transitive) To go from one side of (something) to the other.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
You need to cross the street at the lights.
Cross
(intransitive) To travel in a direction or path that will intersect with that of another.
Ships crossing from starboard have right-of-way.
Cross
(transitive) To pass, as objects going in an opposite direction at the same time.
Cross
(sports) Relative movement by a player or of players.
Cross
(social) To oppose.
Cross
(transitive) To contradict (another) or frustrate the plans of.
"You'll rue the day you tried to cross me, Tom Hero!" bellowed the villain.
Cross
To interfere and cut off ; to debar.
Cross
(legal) To conduct a cross examination; to question a hostile witness.
Cross
(biology) To cross-fertilize or crossbreed.
They managed to cross a sheep with a goat.
Cross
(transitive) To stamp or mark (a cheque) in such a way as to prevent it being cashed, thus requiring it to be deposited into a bank account.
Cross
A gibbet, consisting of two pieces of timber placed transversely upon one another, in various forms, as a T, or +, with the horizontal piece below the upper end of the upright, or as an X. It was anciently used in the execution of criminals.
Nailed to the crossBy his own nation.
Cross
Affiction regarded as a test of patience or virtue; trial; disappointment; opposition; misfortune.
Heaven prepares a good man with crosses.
Cross
A piece of money stamped with the figure of a cross, also, that side of such a piece on which the cross is stamped; hence, money in general.
I should bear no cross if I did bear you; for I think you have no money in your purse.
Cross
An appendage or ornament or anything in the form of a cross; a badge or ornamental device of the general shape of a cross; hence, such an ornament, even when varying considerably from that form; thus, the Cross of the British Order of St. George and St. Michael consists of a central medallion with seven arms radiating from it.
Cross
A monument in the form of a cross, or surmounted by a cross, set up in a public place; as, a market cross; a boundary cross; Charing Cross in London.
Dun-Edin's Cross, a pillared stone,Rose on a turret octagon.
Cross
A common heraldic bearing, of which there are many varieties. See the Illustration, above.
Cross
The crosslike mark or symbol used instead of a signature by those unable to write.
Five Kentish abbesses . . . .subscribed their names and crosses.
Cross
Church lands.
Cross
A line drawn across or through another line.
Cross
A mixing of breeds or stock, especially in cattle breeding; or the product of such intermixture; a hybrid of any kind.
Toning down the ancient Viking into a sort of a cross between Paul Jones and Jeremy Diddler.
Cross
An instrument for laying of offsets perpendicular to the main course.
Cross
A pipe-fitting with four branches the axes of which usually form's right angle.
Cross
Not parallel; lying or falling athwart; transverse; oblique; intersecting.
The cross refraction of the second prism.
Cross
Not accordant with what is wished or expected; interrupting; adverse; contrary; thwarting; perverse.
The cross and unlucky issue of my design.
The article of the resurrection seems to lie marvelously cross to the common experience of mankind.
We are both love's captives, but with fates so cross,One must be happy by the other's loss.
Cross
Characterized by, or in a state of, peevishness, fretfulness, or ill humor; as, a cross man or woman.
He had received a cross answer from his mistress.
Cross
Made in an opposite direction, or an inverse relation; mutually inverse; interchanged; as, cross interrogatories; cross marriages, as when a brother and sister marry persons standing in the same relation to each other.
Cross
Athwart; across.
A fox was taking a walk one night cross a village.
Cross
To put across or athwart; to cause to intersect; as, to cross the arms.
Cross
To lay or draw something, as a line, across; as, to cross the letter t.
Cross
To pass from one side to the other of; to pass or move over; to traverse; as, to cross a stream.
A hunted hare . . . crosses and confounds her former track.
Cross
To pass, as objects going in an opposite direction at the same time.
Cross
To run counter to; to thwart; to obstruct; to hinder; to clash or interfere with.
In each thing give him way; cross him in nothing.
An oyster may be crossed in love.
Cross
To interfere and cut off; to debar.
To cross me from the golden time I look for.
Cross
To make the sign of the cross upon; - followed by the reflexive pronoun; as, he crossed himself.
Cross
To cancel by marking crosses on or over, or drawing a line across; to erase; - usually with out, off, or over; as, to cross out a name.
Cross
To cause to interbreed; - said of different stocks or races; to mix the breed of.
Cross
To lie or be athwart.
Cross
To move or pass from one side to the other, or from place to place; to make a transit; as, to cross from New York to Liverpool.
Cross
To be inconsistent.
Men's actions do not always cross with reason.
Cross
To interbreed, as races; to mix distinct breeds.
If two individuals of distinct races cross, a third is invariably produced different from either.
Cross
A wooden structure consisting of an upright post with a transverse piece
Cross
Marking consisting of crossing lines
Cross
A cross as an emblem of Christianity; used in heraldry
Cross
Any affliction that causes great suffering;
That is his cross to bear
He bears his afflictions like a crown of thorns
Cross
An organism that is the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock; especially offspring produced by breeding plants or animals of different varieties or breeds or species;
A mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey
Cross
(genetics) the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybrids
Cross
Travel across or pass over;
The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day
Cross
Meet at a point
Cross
Hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of;
What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge
Foil your opponent
Cross
Fold so as to resemble a cross;
She crossed her legs
Cross
To cover or extend over an area or time period;
Rivers traverse the valley floor
The parking lot spans 3 acres
The novel spans three centuries
Cross
Meet and pass;
The trains crossed
Cross
Trace a line through or across;
Cross your `t'
Cross
Breed animals or plants using parents of different races and varieties;
Cross a horse and a donkey
Mendel tried crossbreeding
These species do not interbreed
Cross
Extending or lying across; in a crosswise direction; at right angles to the long axis;
Cross members should be all steel
From the transverse hall the stairway ascends gracefully
Transversal vibrations
Transverse colon
Cross
Perversely irritable
Common Curiosities
What are effective ways to manage anger?
Techniques include deep breathing, stepping away from the situation, or discussing feelings calmly.
Can feeling cross lead to anger?
Yes, if minor irritations accumulate or are not addressed, feeling cross can escalate to anger.
How can one tell if they are feeling cross rather than angry?
If the irritation is mild and related to minor annoyances, it's more likely being cross; intense and hostile feelings indicate anger.
What might someone do when they're cross?
They might make sharp comments, display irritation, or act sulkily.
How do children typically express being cross?
Children might pout, whine, or become mildly defiant when they're cross.
What causes someone to feel angry?
Significant personal offenses, injustices, or threats can trigger feelings of anger.
Is being cross less serious than being angry?
Yes, being cross is generally considered less intense and less serious than being angry.
What are some physical signs of anger?
Physical signs include clenched fists, furrowed brows, and possibly a red face.
How can one calm down from being cross quickly?
Taking a few deep breaths, shifting focus, or addressing the irritation directly can help.
Is anger always a negative emotion?
Not necessarily; anger can be constructive if it motivates positive change or highlights boundaries.
What role does communication play in resolving anger?
Effective communication is key to resolving anger, as it helps express feelings and reach understanding.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
