fester

[ fes-ter ]

/ ˈfɛs tər /

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See synonyms for: fester / festered / festering on Thesaurus.com

verb (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)

to cause to rankle: Malice festered his spirit.

noun

an ulcer; a rankling sore.

a small, purulent, superficial sore.

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showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of fester

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English festir, festre<Anglo-French, Old French festre<Latin fistulafistula (for -l->-r-cf. chapter); (v.) Middle English festryn, derivative of the noun or <Old French festrir

OTHER WORDS FROM fester

un·fes·tered, adjectiveun·fes·ter·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use fester in a sentence

It brings out the distance and doubt that festered within the proximate intimacy of the Marston family.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Erik then shows me the area where the old Jewish ghetto once festered, just northeast of the main square.
Exploring the Darker Side of James Joyce’s Trieste|Jeff Campagna|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because, first of all, it sopped up all the brain cells for a year while other problems festered.
Obama Woos Liberal Elite|Lloyd Grove|June 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST
This may be the region where Islam was born, but it is also the place where Islam has lately festered and decayed.
Why Obama Can Be Proud of Indonesia|Reza Aslan|November 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He has festered so long on death row and so inflated his profile that fellow inmates now call him “Pops.”
The Slain Policeman's Widow in the Mumia Abu-Jamal Case Speaks|Michael Smerconish|November 8, 2010|DAILY BEAST
A firm trust in His protecting care would have been a balm for every wound which festered and rankled at my heart's core.
The Monctons: A Novel, Volume I|Susanna Moodie
Many saw a visitation for some secret sin, that otherwise might have festered inwardly and destroyed the immortal part.
Cripps, the Carrier|R. D. (Richard Doddridge) Blackmore
The hot summer was on—Jacobus Laningdale had selected the time shrewdly—and the plague festered everywhere.
The Strength of the Strong|Jack London
As the wound festered and made him loathsome to the army he was left in Lemnos in the first year of the war.
Authors of Greece|T. W. Lumb
A nail, hidden behind the canvas entered his hand; the wound festered, and he died.
Shakespeare as a Dramatic Artist|Richard G. Moulton

British Dictionary definitions for fester

fester

/ (ˈfɛstə) /

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; rankleresentment festered his imagination

(intr) informal to be idle or inactive

noun

a small ulcer or sore containing pus

Word Origin for fester

C13: from Old French festre suppurating sore, from Latin: fistula

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

Medical definitions for fester

fester

[ fĕs′tər ]

To ulcerate.

To form pus; putrefy.

An ulcer.

fester

Origin of fester

OTHER WORDS FROM fester

Words related to fester

How to use fester in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fester

Word Origin for fester

Medical definitions for fester