Abstract Macrophages contribute significantly to the pathology of many chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Macrophage activation and survival are tightly regulated by reversible acetylation and deacetylation of histones, transcription factors, and structural proteins. Although histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACis) demonstrate therapeutic effects in animal models of chronic inflammatory disease, depressed macrophage HDAC activity in patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or RA may contribute to inflammation in these diseases, potentially contraindicating the therapeutic administration of HDACis. In this study, we directly examined whether HDACis could influence the activation of macrophages derived from the inflamed joints of patients with RA. We found that inhibition of class I/II HDACs or class III sirtuin HDACs potently blocked the production of IL-6 and TNF-α by macrophages from healthy donors and patients with RA. Two HDACis, trichostatin A and nicotinamide, selectively induced macrophage apoptosis associated with specific downregulation of the antiapoptotic protein Bfl-1/A1, and inflammatory stimuli enhanced the sensitivity of macrophages to HDACi-induced apoptosis. Importantly, inflammatory and angiogenic cytokine production in intact RA synovial biopsy explants was also suppressed by HDACis. Our study identifies redundant, but essential, roles for class I/II and sirtuin HDACs in promoting inflammation, angiogenesis, and cell survival in RA.