febrile

adjective

fe·brile ˈfe-ˌbrī(-ə)l

also

ˈfē-

: 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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Even as book collectors have, over the centuries, shifted shape from rectors to hedge-fund managers, they have remained driven by an impulse that is both febrile and fastidious. —

Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 The febrile, early post-referendum atmosphere in Westminster was infused with recriminations over the toxic referendum campaign and the divisions within the government. —

Tim Cullen, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2016 Photography: Ferrari Ferrari’s chief design officer, Flavio Manzoni, cites the febrile rush of the ’60s space race as an influence, although there are various nods to other Ferraris, including the early ’70s 312PB and the ’80s F40. —

Jason Barlow, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024 More days like Sunday, with the nation at the febrile intersection of heartache, frustration and anger, will challenge Netanyahu like never before. —

Nic Robertson, CNN, 2 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for febrile