feverish

adjective

Synonyms of feverishnext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Already offputting, Reid’s performance of Rapp’s dawning realizations — flipping from dismissive skepticism to feverish belief with little in between — grows less grounded by the minute. — Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026 That feverish obsession with writing and recording music together hasn’t let up in the two years since then. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 Thompson recruited his longtime illustrator, Ralph Steadman, and the assignment became The Curse of Lono, a full-bore Gonzo account of Hawaiian misadventures, punctuated with Steadman’s feverish drawings. — Hunter S. Thompson, Air Mail, 17 Oct. 2026 Carrie’s focus is also shifted, with the 2013 version finding Chloe Grace Moretz’s Carrie more akin to an X-Men villain than the traumatized, feverish teen Sissy Spacek played in 1976. — Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for feverish

Word History

First Known Use

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

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Feverish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feverish. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

feverish

adjective
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
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 spot—R. L. Stevenson
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