fever dream
Americannoun
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a particularly distressing, scary, or bizarre dream that a person may have when experiencing a fever.
Bedridden with pneumonia, he had a fever dream in which bony old cats were climbing the walls of his room.
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a situation, circumstance, or experience, typically unfavorable, that is odd enough to be likened more to a dream than to reality.
So far, college has felt like a fever dream—ever since I arrived I’ve just felt so out of place.
Etymology
Origin of fever dream
First recorded in 1795–1805
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.
Matthew said thinking back to the time his mother's lies unravelled was like a "fever dream".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
For some fans, that basketball fever dream is creating a wedding nightmare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
He wanted to work in the film industry — he thought L.A. would be like a 1970s Jim Morrison fever dream, but found it not as inspiring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026
Even “Four Weddings,” in which brides rated one another’s ceremonies on food, dresses and décor, now feels like a kind of collective fever dream.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2026
It’s been so long since I’ve been to Rose Hill that I wonder if the whole memory ain't some kind of fever dream.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
