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

Punk rock, a genre that’s known for being explicit, aggressive, and wildly feverish might be the best to capture a feeling as intense and complicated as love. —Stephanie Mendez, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2025

But the 82-year-old is working at a feverish pace of late, finding new sandboxes to play in. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025

The league folded abruptly in 2003 after a steady decline in attendance and reports of feverish spending. —Megan Schrader, The Denver Post, 9 Feb. 2025

Soon enough, others began to join her – three dozen people dancing in a strange, feverish and rhythmic pattern. —Kay Johnson, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 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