feverish

adjective

fe·​ver·​ish ˈfē-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

Heavy Metal earned raves for its unruly combination of intimate songwriting, feverish emotion and left-field ambition, and the Carnegie Hall performance put that material in a setting almost comically grand enough to match its scale. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026

Some chip companies have been willing to give up ownership to land business during this feverish AI buildout. — Kevin Stankiewicz,jeff Marks, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026

In the absence of obvious sources of amusement, visitors hopped among booths in feverish pursuit of swag—key chains, stickers, sunglasses. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Leeds United’s goalkeeper does not manage his social media accounts but his friends have kept him informed of the feverish reaction to his arrival. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Aug. 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