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

The rationale is understandable given the current febrile markets, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

A pumped-up Volkanovski, a former rugby league player, basked in the adoration of the febrile 20,000-person crowd at Qudos Bank Arena in his first world title defence on Australian soil.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

HHV-6B infects roughly 90 percent of children by age two and is best known for causing roseola infantum -- or "sixth disease" -- the most common cause of febrile seizures in young children.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

Two years ago, England pushed Australia close in both of the defeats - after the febrile, wildly undulating and frequently pyrotechnic Edgbaston and Lord's Tests, England had scored 34.6 runs per wicket to Australia's 35.8.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

The articles suited the tenor of the moment established by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s febrile accusations of Communist influence in every corner of government.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik