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 of feverish

• heated
• excited
• agitated

Examples of feverish in a Sentence

She was feeling tired and feverish.

He had a feverish appearance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Three more Wuthering Heights adaptations Brontë’s 1847 novel has been ripe material for plenty of adaptations aside from Fennell’s feverish take. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026

In Josh Safdie’s feverish ping-pong epic, Marty (Timothée Chalamet) breaks from his benefactor, pen tycoon Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary), risking everything to erase an old defeat. —Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026

Plenty of showings around town were sold out, but few generated feverish headlines about bidding wars during the festival’s run—a worrying development for the filmmakers who come to Sundance in hopes of finding a distributor for their work. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026

And after decades of futile wishes, maybe the place is finally ready for a new life — not today, not tomorrow, but in a few feverish years. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

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