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

• 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

Despite appearances to the contrary—the swirling sentences, the feverish intellection—there is nothing hermetic about Krasznahorkai’s work, both old and new, which squarely faces contemporary European reality and its perils, including the tortured dynamics of settlement, movement, and identity. —James Wood, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025

Decorated former All-Stars, fireballing relievers, and useful utility players, all gone in a feverish streak of trades to clear the path to a messy rebuild. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025

As the case grew colder, New York’s press only grew more feverish. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025

No one in the bracket carries the same feverish momentum. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Sep. 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