febrile

American  

[fee-bruhl, feb-ruhl, fee-brahyl] / ˈfi brəl, ˈfɛb rəl, ˈfi braɪl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or marked by fever; feverish.

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febrile British  

/ ˈfiːbraɪl, fɪˈbrɪlɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to fever; feverish

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Usage

What does febrile mean? Febrile is a more formal way of saying feverish—having a fever. A fever is an abnormally high body temperature, typically as the result of illness. In general, febrile can mean somehow related to or marked by fever. It is commonly used in formal medical contexts, but it can also be used metaphorically to describe situations marked by a state of anxious excitement. Example: Nothing is worse than the febrile sweat that comes with the flu.

Other Word Forms

• febrility
  noun
• nonfebrile
  adjective
• postfebrile
  adjective
• unfebrile
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of febrile

1645–55; < New Latin, Medieval Latin febrīlis. See fever, -ile

Compare meaning

How does febrile compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• febrile vs. afebrile

Explanation

Febrile is an adjective that means "related to fever." It can be used in a medical sense when someone is sick and running a temperature, or in a figurative sense to describe a state of excitement or energy. When febrile is used to describe a fever due to illness, it is often used together with the word seizure. A febrile seizure is a seizure triggered by a fever. In a non-medical sense, the word can describe a state of excitement, as in, "The atmosphere in the city was febrile as the king's coronation date approached." You might think the fe in the word sounds like "fee," but it is actually pronounced "feh," as in February.

Example Sentences

They listened for the now-familiar code letters: “AFRI,” or “Acute Febrile Respiratory Illness,” the catchall phrase for a suspected COVID-19 case.

From Washington Times • May 9, 2020

Febrile seizures occur in about 3 or 4 children out of every 100.

From Slate • May 3, 2019

Febrile, fantastic Jean Cocteau, France's No. i playboy of the intellect, left the Paris Ritz to live on a houseboat and do war work.

From Time Magazine Archive

There is also another point, where Old Febrile, at the conclusion of his disclosure to Swig, rises and says: "And now, Swig, tell me, have I acted well?"

From The Letters of Charles Dickens Vol. 1, 1833-1856 by Hogarth, Georgina

Febrile, or digestive disorders, or any condition that may interfere with feeding, may cause this disorder.

From Common Diseases of Farm Animals by Craig, R. A., D. V. M.