feverish

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Having a high body temperature, or looking and feeling unwell in the way a fever causes.

   Grammar: Can come before a noun or after feel or look: a feverish child, feeling feverish.

   Patterns

   • feel feverish
   • a feverish child

   I woke up feeling feverish, with a pounding head and aching joints.

   The feverish boy kept asking for cold water.

   Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes looked feverish.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounfigurative

   Marked by great excitement, speed or nervous energy, often with a sense of urgency.

   Grammar: Usually describes activity or emotion: feverish preparations, not a feverish table.

   Patterns

   • feverish activity
   • feverish excitement

   The crew worked at a feverish pace to finish the set before opening night.

   There was a feverish buzz in the stadium before the final whistle.

   He made feverish notes as the idea rushed into his head.

Word forms

Common combinations

feel feverish

If you feel feverish, take your temperature.

feverish pace

They worked at a feverish pace all night.

feverish activity

The kitchen was full of feverish activity before the wedding.

feverish excitement

The crowd waited in feverish excitement.

feverish dreams

His feverish dreams made no sense the next morning.

Synonyms and how they differ

febrile

Febrile is a medical word for having a fever and is rarely used for excitement.

frantic

Frantic stresses panic and lack of control, while feverish stresses intense, driven energy.

hectic

Hectic describes a busy schedule or period, whereas feverish suggests a strained, almost overheated eagerness.

Opposites

Word family

fever noun

a body temperature higher than normal

feverishly adverb

in a hurried, excited way

feverishness noun

the state of being feverish

feverfew noun

a daisy-like herb once used to treat fevers

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “feverish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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