ˈfēv(ə)rish, -rēsh adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from fever + -ish
1.
a. : showing symptoms indicating fever (as increased heat and thirst, delirium) : having a fever
the patient is feverish
specifically : abnormally hot
the child's forehead felt feverish
b. : of or indicating fever
a feverish condition
a feverish spot burned on each cheek
c. : infected with or tending to cause fever
a damp, feverish , unhealthy spot — R.L.Stevenson
2.
a. : marked by aroused or intense feeling or activity or by irregular variations : characterized by fever : agitated
lay sleepless while his feverish mind went over the catastrophes of the day
: ardent
novels … in which every young man is sleek and feverish for an unattainable success — Marjory S. Douglas
: hectic
a burst of feverish activity just before sailing time
: unstable
a feverish condition of the stock market with extreme fluctuations between gains and losses
b. : suggesting in appearance the delirium of a fever
a wallpaper with a feverish contemporary design
3. : uncomfortably hot : sultry
the afternoon was feverish for so temperate a seacoast — Robinson Jeffers
• fe·ver·ish·ly adverb
• fe·ver·ish·ness noun -es