feverish

IPA/ˈfiːvərɪʃ/
KK[fˈivɚɪʃ]IPA/ˈfiːvərɪʃ/

feverish — adjective

  • feverishpositive
  • more feverishcomparative
  • most feverishsuperlative

1. having a body temperature that is higher than usual because you are ill, often m

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

having a body temperature that is higher than usual because you are ill, often making you feel hot, weak, or shivery

Example

By the time Sayaka got home from school, her forehead felt hot and feverish.

feel + feverish describing physical symptom

The nurse touched Lara's cheek and told her she was feverish.

Common collocations
  • feel feverish
  • look feverish
  • seem feverish
  • feverish child
  • feverish skin
  • feverish forehead
Synonyms
  • hot

    broader term that can refer to temperature from any cause, not just illness

  • flushed

    specifically describes red, heated skin on the face; more vivid but less clinical

  • burning up

    informal and intense; suggests a high fever rather than a mild one

Antonyms
  • cool

    normal body temperature

  • well

    healthy and not showing signs of illness

Grammar Patterns

feel/look/seem + feverish

feverish + noun (forehead, skin, child)

Usage Note

Frequently used after linking verbs (feel, look, seem) rather than directly before a noun, though the attributive use (a feverish child, feverish skin) is also natural and common.

Common Mistakes

I am feverish today and cannot go to work.
I feel feverish today and cannot go to work.
Use 'feel', 'look', or 'seem' with 'feverish' to describe a temporary condition; 'am feverish' can sound awkward or overly formal.

2. involving a great deal of hurried activity and strong feelings, sometimes in a w

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

involving a great deal of hurried activity and strong feelings, sometimes in a way that feels restless or out of control

Example

The final week before the wedding was a feverish rush of last-minute preparations.

feverish + noun (rush, activity, pace, excitement)

Pedro worked at a feverish pace to finish the design before the client meeting.

Common collocations
  • feverish activity
  • feverish pace
  • feverish excitement
  • feverish energy
  • feverish rush
  • feverish trading
Synonyms
  • frantic

    more panicked and less purposeful than feverish; implies near-loss of control

  • frenzied

    stronger and wilder than feverish; suggests chaos rather than hurried purpose

  • hectic

    focuses on busyness and time pressure without the emotional intensity of feverish

  • fevered

    very close in meaning but slightly more literary; often used of imagination or ambition

Antonyms
  • calm

    without hurry or strong emotion

  • relaxed

    leisurely and free from pressure

  • slow-paced

    moving at a gentle, unhurried speed

Grammar Patterns

feverish + noun (activity, pace, excitement, energy, rush)

Usage Note

In this sense, feverish is almost always used attributively (before a noun) and not after a linking verb. You would describe a scene as 'filled with feverish activity', not as 'feeling feverish'. The noun being modified is typically an abstract noun related to speed, energy, or collective emotion.

Common Mistakes

The office was very feverish this morning.
The office was filled with feverish activity this morning.
The figurative sense of 'feverish' is used before a noun (feverish activity, feverish pace), not alone after a linking verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

Feverish, frantic, frenzied, and hectic all describe situations involving intense activity, but they differ in emotional tone and degree of control. Feverish suggests hurried activity driven by excitement or urgency — it often carries a sense of purposeful effort, like workers racing against a deadline. Frantic adds an edge of panic and loss of control: a frantic search implies desperation, not just speed. Frenzied is the strongest of the group — it describes wild, chaotic behaviour where people are almost out of control, such as frenzied fans at a concert. Hectic, by contrast, is milder and more neutral: it simply means very busy and full of activity, without the emotional intensity of the other three. For example: 'The kitchen was hectic during lunch service' (busy but organised). 'The kitchen was feverish with last-minute orders' (hurried and tense). 'The kitchen became frantic when the fire alarm went off' (panicked). Choose feverish when the activity is intense yet still purposeful; use frantic or frenzied when panic or chaos takes over.

frantic ↗frenzied ↗hectic ↗feverish ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Feverish was formed in English around the 14th century from the noun fever (from Old English fefor, borrowed from Latin febris, meaning 'fever') plus the suffix -ish, which means 'having the quality of'. The literal meaning — 'having a fever' — appeared first. By the mid-18th century, the word had developed a figurative sense comparing intense emotional activity to the restless, heated feeling of being ill with a fever.