Enfevered

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Marked by an overwhelming state of emotional disturbance or excitement
2. Descriptive of a condition where intense agitation or enthusiasm influences behavior and emotions
3. Experiencing a strong surge of passionate feeling or deep emotional excitement

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: the prefix "en-" attached to "fever". The prefix comes down from Latin "in-", which entered English through Old French "en-" and was used to form verbs meaning "to put into" or "to bring into a state". Put "fever" into that frame and you get "to bring into a fever", and "enfevered" is the past form of that verb, describing someone who has been driven into that heated state. The sense of "fever" that matters here is the older, figurative one: a state of intense agitation or excitement, not just the medical condition. The literal illness and the emotional sense have long existed side by side, and "enfevered" leans on the second. A person who is enfevered is someone whose feelings have been stirred up until they run hot.

Synonyms: fevered, heated, agitated, excited, inflamed

Antonyms: calm, cool, composed, untroubled, collected