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View synonyms for

fester

[ fes-ter ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.
  2. to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh.
  3. to putrefy or rot.
  4. to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.


verb (used with object)

  1. to cause to rankle:

    Malice festered his spirit.

noun

  1. an ulcer; a rankling sore.
  2. a small, purulent, superficial sore.

fester

/ ˈɛə /

verb

  1. to form or cause to form pus
  2. intr to become rotten; decay
  3. to become or cause to become bitter, irritated, etc, esp over a long period of time; rankle

    resentment festered his imagination

  4. informal.
    intr to be idle or inactive
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a small ulcer or sore containing pus
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ܲ·ڱt adjective
  • ܲ·ڱt·Բ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fester1

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English festir, festre < Anglo-French, Old French festre < Latin fistula fistula (for -l- > -r- chapter ); (v.) Middle English festryn, derivative of the noun or < Old French festrir
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fester1

C13: from Old French festre suppurating sore, from Latin: fistula
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Keeping the truth from someone might not be outright dishonesty, but it’s a rot that decays the same way, just festering at a slower pace.

From

It’s also close-knit and small, a fertile environment for slights to fester.

From

His comments wiggled a finger in a wound which has been festering for some fans of top-flight football this season - the idea that the Premier League has become boring.

From

He insisted, however, that his tariff announcement was one that had to be made, and that any economic disruptions reflected a sickness that had been allowed to fester in the American economy.

From

Throughout the book, as years wear on and the camps fester, Jen and Ursula both reckon with tangible documents to unlock ugly secrets and forge a new future.

From

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