feverish

adjective

fe·​ver·​ish ˈfe-vər-ish 

ˈfē-vrish

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

Synonyms

• agitated
• excited
• frenzied
• heated
• hectic
• hyperactive
• overactive
• overwrought

Examples of feverish in a Sentence

She was feeling tired and feverish.

He had a feverish appearance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thousands of troops from multiple branches of the military rehearsed for weeks under the adoring eyes and feverish applause from the local people. —Nga Pham, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025

There was no winning goal and even though all the result did was nudge United to 14th, the feverish finale spoke to the scale of the week ahead. —Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

But there is little fire here beyond what Kidman is trying to produce; not even the sensual dance cast against a George Michael song gets feverish. —Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025

But as the feverish demand grew exponentially, the supply wasn’t there. —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Kids Definition

feverish

adjective

fe·​ver·​ish ˈfēv-(ə-)rish 

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 

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