fester
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.
-
to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh.
-
to putrefy or rot.
-
to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
an ulcer; a rankling sore.
-
a small, purulent, superficial sore.
verb
-
to form or cause to form pus
-
(intr) to become rotten; decay
-
to become or cause to become bitter, irritated, etc, esp over a long period of time; rankle
resentment festered his imagination
-
informal (intr) to be idle or inactive
noun
Other Word Forms
- unfestered adjective
- unfestering adjective
Etymology
Origin of fester
1350–1400; (noun) Middle English festir, festre < Anglo-French, Old French festre < Latin fistula fistula (for -l- > -r- chapter ); (v.) Middle English festryn, derivative of the noun or < Old French festrir
Explanation
To fester is to grow and spread, not in a good way. When a cut gets infected it starts to fester and smell bad. Emotional wounds stink too, like when you hold on to anger or pain until it starts to fester and explodes. Fester is a verb describing what happens to a wound or a sore that gets worse and has liquid, or pus, oozing out. Infections cause cuts, broken bones, and diseases to fester. Dead bodies can fester too — as they decompose. Things that fester have a decaying odor, and bad feelings can have a decaying effect on friendships and the heart. Letting bitter emotions fester often leads to their getting worse.
Vocabulary lists containing fester
Bud, Not Buddy
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf: A New Telling
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Webb was able to take on some of Hong Kong’s most powerful constituencies and castigate regulatory authorities for letting corporate governance issues fester.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Sweeping contentious issues under the rug and relegating them to wanton aggravation is one major way of letting these same topics fester.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
The Jewish community has warned time and again that when hatred is allowed to fester, when it is excused, normalized or mainstreamed, it inevitably leads to violence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
The company is “kind of letting it fester now,” with the potential for the narrative to drag into next week, he added.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 26, 2025
His father knew every place in the boy where a word would fester.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.