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.
For some fans, that basketball fever dream is creating a wedding nightmare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Coiro: It was a weird fever dream, where you’re jet-lagged, working, and then going to events.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
It is no wonder the image of Cannavaro holding the trophy aloft at the Olympiastadion now feels like a fever dream to most Italians.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
It was a fever dream of geopolitical conquest.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2026
All the colors that had been missing from Vaes Tolorro had found their way to Qarth; buildings crowded about her fantastical as a fever dream in shades of rose, violet, and umber.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
