febrile

adjective

fe·​brile ˈfe-ˌbrī(-ə)l How to pronounce febrile (audio)
also
ˈfē- How to pronounce febrile (audio)
: marked or caused by fever : feverish
a febrile reaction caused by an allergy

Did you know?

Not too surprisingly, febrile originated in the field of medicine. We note its first use in the work of the 17th-century medical reformer Noah Biggs. Biggs used it in admonishing physicians to care for their "febrile patients" properly. Both feverish and febrile are from the Latin word for "fever," which is febris. Nowadays, febrile is used in medicine in a variety of ways, including references to such things as "the febrile phase" of an illness. And, like feverish, it also has an extended sense, as in "a febrile emotional state."

Examples of febrile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Add in the febrile backdrop of a Britain veering from the Swinging Sixties to the Swingeing Seventies to the Eighties of Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher (boo, hiss) and beyond. Mark Holgate, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2024 Is there anything parents can do to prevent this? CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, who also works at NYU Langone but was not involved in the study, said there are no obvious warning signs — but parents can be aware of febrile seizures, or a convulsion caused by a fever. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2024 Besides the febrile seizures, Hayden had been a healthy 17-month-old, always ready to dance in that intuitive toddler way, shimmying, wiggling, whether his parents had put on Radiohead or Justin Timberlake. Eric Boodman, STAT, 4 Jan. 2024 Berlin takes an American, British sense of heist thrillers and French romanticism but mixes them with characters who are far more tumultuous, effervescent, febrile, wilder in emotions. John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023 Certain factors can increase your risk of having more than one febrile seizure. Mark Gurarie, Health, 28 Aug. 2023 This sentiment was widespread in Silicon Valley posting over the weekend, recalling the febrile climate earlier in the year when Silicon Valley Bank suddenly failed. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2023 The return of Thaksin, a deeply divisive figure who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, now adds a further layer of uncertainty into this febrile political atmosphere. Helen Regan, CNN, 22 Aug. 2023 The Abraham Accords — the U.S.-backed deals forged between Israel and a clutch of mostly Arab monarchies — signaled a political desire to move out of old paradigms that had defined the Middle East’s febrile status quo. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 16 Oct. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin febrilis, from Latin febris fever

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of febrile was in 1651

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Cite this Entry

“Febrile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/febrile. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

febrile

adjective
fe·​brile
ˈfeb-ˌrīl also ˈfēb-
: marked or caused by fever : feverish

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