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.
“It felt like I was in a fever dream because I had to pee so bad that I started to feel quite literally delirious,” said Hidalgo, a 31-year-old product manager in New York City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
For some fans, that basketball fever dream is creating a wedding nightmare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
It’s a reinvention, a recalibration, a revisionist fever dream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 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
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
