feverish

[fee-ver-ish]

adjective

having fever.
pertaining to, of the nature of, or resembling fever: a feverish excitement.
excited, restless, or uncontrolled, as if from fever.

having a tendency to produce fever.

Origin of feverish

First recorded in 1350–1400, feverish is from the Middle English word feverisch. See fever, -ish¹

Related formsfe·ver·ish·ly, adverbfe·ver·ish·ness, nounnon·fe·ver·ish, adjectivenon·fe·ver·ish·ly, adverbnon·fe·ver·ish·ness, nounpseu·do·fe·ver·ish, adjectivepseu·do·fe·ver·ish·ly, adverbun·fe·ver·ish, adjective

Can be confusedfervent fever feverish

Synonyms

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

3. frenzied, impatient, fervent, wrought-up.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for feverish

Contemporary Examples

The days it takes place are marked on the wall calendar in the kitchen and counted down to with feverish excitement.
Confessions of a Turkey Killer
Tom Sykes
November 26, 2014
Endowing the feverish, PR-patrolled world of presidential politics with thoughtfulness and poise—now that would be radical.
Inside The Secret World of London’s National Gallery
Tim Teeman
November 8, 2014
Fifty years ago this week, a divided and feverish Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater to lead them to victory.
Can Rand Bring Blacks Back to the GOP?
James Poulos
July 18, 2014
Incapable of movement, incapable of speech, I listened to her feverish words in an agony of shame and sorrow.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
In between karaoke bits and feverish dance breaks, Diesel delivers a few heartfelt monologues to the camera.
Vin Diesel’s 6 Greatest YouTube Masterpieces
Amy Zimmerman
January 29, 2014

Historical Examples

"No, I ain't nervous," Garson cried, with a feverish effort to appear calm.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
His appearance might have been the effect of a feverish cold.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
For there she would feel no need of feverish action to pass the time.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
Sophy was unwell, was feverish; the scarlet fever had been in the neighbourhood.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
She did not eat; she did not drink; she looked haggard and feverish.
Hetty's Strange History
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for feverish

feverish

feverous

adjective

suffering from fever, esp a slight fever
in a state of restless excitement
of, relating to, caused by, or causing fever

Derived Formsfeverishly or feverously, adverbfeverishness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for feverish

adj.

late 14c., "causing fever;" 1630s, "excited;" 1640s, "having symptoms of fever," from fever + -ish. Earlier in same sense was feverous (late 14c.). Related: Feverishly; feverishness.

feverish in Medicine

feverish

(fē′vər-ĭsh)

adj.

Having a fever.
Relating to or resembling a fever.
Causing or tending to cause a fever.

feverish

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Synonyms

Examples from the Web for feverish

Contemporary Examples

The days it takes place are marked on the wall calendar in the kitchen and counted down to with feverish excitement.

Endowing the feverish, PR-patrolled world of presidential politics with thoughtfulness and poise—now that would be radical.

Fifty years ago this week, a divided and feverish Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater to lead them to victory.

Incapable of movement, incapable of speech, I listened to her feverish words in an agony of shame and sorrow.

In between karaoke bits and feverish dance breaks, Diesel delivers a few heartfelt monologues to the camera.

Historical Examples

"No, I ain't nervous," Garson cried, with a feverish effort to appear calm.

His appearance might have been the effect of a feverish cold.

For there she would feel no need of feverish action to pass the time.

Sophy was unwell, was feverish; the scarlet fever had been in the neighbourhood.

She did not eat; she did not drink; she looked haggard and feverish.

feverish

feverous

Word Origin and History for feverish

adj.

feverish

Origin of feverish