feverish

adjective

fe·​ver·​ish ˈfē-vrish How to pronounce feverish (audio)
ˈfe-vər-ish
1
a
: tending to cause fever
b
: having the symptoms of a fever
c
: indicating or relating to fever
2
: marked by intense emotion, activity, or instability
feverish excitement
feverishly adverb
feverishness noun

Examples of feverish in a Sentence

She was feeling tired and feverish. He had a feverish appearance.
Recent Examples on the Web With the city in a feverish state, Surya’s characters are involved in political resistance and a tug of love. Patrick Frater, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 After winning Super Bowl LVIII, not to mention attracting feverish interest in his romantic relationship with Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce is setting his sights on Hollywood. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2024 Sam was clutching his bedsheet, looking confused and feverish. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 By the 1970s, a spectrum of skilled musicians had formed bands, driving a feverish scene across the Copperbelt, such as the Black Souls, Peace and Fire Balls, Kingston Market, The Boyfriends, and Upshoots. Tracy Kawalik, SPIN, 5 Mar. 2024 Does the film hold up to those feverish ‘90s memories? Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2024 The fallout of the assertion about Meek, and his ensuing response, became a quintessential X dumpster fire, where quote posts and memes flew at a feverish pace by people trying to go viral. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 Photo: Courtesy Apple TV+ With the liberation, however, came a feverish creative release. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 The creative process can sometimes be highly organized, and others completely ephemeral: for every story that’s been mapped out beat by beat there’s another that arrived completely intact from a writer’s fingers in a feverish outpouring of inspiration. Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feverish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of feverish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near feverish

Cite this Entry

“Feverish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feverish. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

feverish

adjective
fe·​ver·​ish ˈfēv-(ə-)rish How to pronounce feverish (audio)
1
a
: having a fever
b
: of, relating to, or being fever
c
: tending to cause fever
2
: showing great emotion or activity : hectic
feverish excitement
feverishly adverb
feverishness noun

Medical Definition

feverish

adjective
fe·​ver·​ish ˈfēv-(ə-)rish How to pronounce feverish (audio)
1
: showing symptoms indicating fever (as increased heat and thirst or delirium) : having a fever
the patient is feverish
specifically : abnormally hot
the child's forehead felt feverish
2
: of or indicating fever
a feverish condition
3
: infected with or tending to cause fever
a damp, feverish, unhealthy spotR. L. Stevenson

More from Merriam-Webster on feverish

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