frumious

Frumious means very angry, as in My mom was frumious that I skipped school today.

Frumious was coined by author Lewis Carroll for his children’s novel Through the Looking-Glass. It appears in the poem “Jabberwocky,” which is part of the novel.

In the poem, the narrator warns his son to “shun / The frumious Bandersnatch,” a violent and enraged creature.

Frumious is mostly used as Carroll intended, often in a playful rather than serious way.

Example: I am absolutely frumious that they left that movie on a cliffhanger.

The first records of the term frumious come from the late 1800s. It was coined by Lewis Carroll for his novel Through the Looking-Glass, who said it was a combination of fuming and furious.

Frumious Bandersnatch is the name of an American rock-’n’-roll band from the 1960s, known for its psychedelic music and allusions to famous works of literature, such as Through the Looking-Glass and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, both by Carroll. Some of the band’s most popular compositions include “Chesire” and “Woodrose Syrup.”

Learn about other delightful words coined by Carroll here.

What are some synonyms for frumious?

• angry
• enraged
• furious
• irritated
• offended

What are some words that share a root or word element with frumious? 

• furious
• fuming

What are some words that often get used in discussing frumious?

• bandersnatch
• language
• Jabberwocky
• rock-‘n’-roll

Frumious is primarily used playfully in casual speech.

The Steve Miller Band and Journey were both comprised of former members of the '60s psychedelic rock band Frumious Bundersnatch.

— What The F*** Facts (@WhatTheFFacts) June 6, 2016

Shun the frumious Bandersnatch. pic.twitter.com/vcxAcsqf4u

— chris riddell (@chrisriddell50) August 24, 2021

"Beware the snubsnub bird. Will Oscar shun the frumious Cumberbatch?" Lewis Carroll, awards prognosticator #Oscars2015

— Howard Sherman (@HESherman) January 15, 2015

Is frumious used correctly in the following sentence?

Ishir was so frumious about Jadzia’s promotion that he threw her a party.