The Meaning of Fever Dream: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of fever dream? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the phrase fever dream, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the term fever dream mean?

According to Urban Dictionary, a fever dream is a slang term for some disjointed or strange experience. This experience may make you feel that you are in an actual dream where things outside the realm of reality happen. Many different things can be described as a fever dream, from an actual real life experience that makes someone feel odd and disturbed, to a piece of media, such as a television show or film, that has the same effect. Often, things can be described as a fever dream or acid trip when they are of this odd nature. 

What is the origin of the term fever dream?

According to Healthline and Time, the slang term fever dream comes from actual dreams that people have when they have a fever. A fever is when someone has a body temperature above its normal temperature. This can cause chills, cognitive processing, and insomnia, among other sleep disturbances. People usually try to treat fevers with medicines such as ibuprofen, plenty of rest, lots of fluids, acetaminophen or aspirin. When the internal temperature is high, this can cause body aches, weakness, headache, fatigue, hot flashes, or even strange dreams like a fever dream. A fever can be caused from many different things, from an infection from bacteria, to viruses. Different pathogens thrive when our body has a normal temperature, our body tries to heat up to make it more difficult for the temperature-sensitive pathogens to survive.  Other symptoms of a weakened immune system could include vertigo, or a sore throat. 

During rapid eye movement sleep, or REM sleep, the high body temperature disturbs the brain’s normal cognitive processes. This overheated brain can literally make your dreams bizarre. High brain temperatures can cause dreams of helplessness, menace, delirium, or other common fever dreams that happened during such ailment or malady. Make sure that the physical condition and core body temperature are treated, and this reduction in warning signs will reduce the dreams and intense feelings. These negative dream emotions can take a toll on a person. If they happen with too much frequency, see a doctor or a person who is qualified to do an interpretation of a dream. The doctor will treat the virus, and the dream interpreter may be able to give you a reason why you are dreaming of a huge dog, giant insects with oversized arms, or other odd dreams filled with creatures. 

What are synonyms and antonyms for the term fever dream?

There are many different words and phrases that a person can use in place of the term fever dream. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as a word or phrase. Learning synonyms Is a great way to expand your  English language vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms for the term fever dream is provided by Thesaurus.

  •  ignis fatuus
  •  fallacy
  •  error
  •  shade
  •  trip
  •  self-deception
  •  phantasm
  •  daydream
  •  oversight
  •  fantasy
  •  vision
  •  deceptiveness
  •  mistake
  •  mirage
  •  chicanery
  •  deception
  •  fancy
  •  casuistry
  •  phantom
  •  lapse
  •  blunder
  •  figment
  •  ghost
  •  hallucination
  •  head trip
  •  illusion
  •  misbelief
  •  misapprehension
  •  dream
  •  speciousness
  •  apparition
  •  spuriousness
  •  trickery
  •  fool’s paradise
  •  false impression
  •  optical illusion
  •  pipe dream
  •  eidolon
  •  delusion

There are also many different words and phrases that mean the opposite of the term fever dream. These opposite words are called antonyms. Learning antonyms is another great way to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the term fever dream is also provided by Thesaurus.

  •  actuality
  •  like it is
  •  how things are
  •  genuineness
  •  authenticity
  •  being
  •  materiality
  •  sensibility
  •  what’s what
  •  solidity
  •  palpability
  •  existence
  •  bottom line
  •  reality
  •  nuts and bolts
  •  entity
  •  realness
  •  substantive
  •  way of it
  •  matter
  •  tangibility
  •  verity
  •  perceptibility
  •  validity
  •  deed
  •  certainty
  •  corporeality
  •  real world
  •  name of the game
  •  phenomenon
  •  verisimilitude
  •  realism
  •  presence
  •  object
  •  brass tacks
  •  concreteness
  •  absoluteness
  •  substantiality
  •  truth
  •  substance 

How can the term fever dream be used in a sentence?

The term fever dream can be used to describe many different things that are odd and unusual. Below are a few examples of ways that you can use the term fever dream in a sentence. Using this phrase of the day in a sentence today. Using different words and phrases that you are trying to learn the definition of in a sentence is a great way to retain them. 

I went to see a showing of experimental films at the theater downtown last night. I thought it was going to be fun, but it was like a fever dream. I did not understand a single one of the films, and every social interaction I had felt like I was talking to an alien. Maybe I just have an innate inability to understand experimental film. 

I had the weirdest fever dream when I had the flu in the winter. I was being chased by a massive dog who wanted me to go to the Moon. 

I could not believe I stumbled upon evidence of my father’s Affairs. I thought I was having a fever dream, because I just couldn’t believe it. 

I swear, my toddler’s dreams are like fever dreams. The way that she describes them to me doesn’t make any sense. 

Overall, the term fever dream either be a slang term used to refer to a weird experience, or it can refer to an actual dream that a person has in the REM stage of sleep when the person’s normal body temperature is elevated. Sleep researchers have found that the dreams one has during a fever can be very strange indeed. 

Sources:

  1. Fever Dreams: Symptoms, Causes, and Prevention | Healthline
  2. The Science Behind Fever Dreams | Time
  3. fever dream | Urban Dictionary  
  4. DELUSION Synonyms: 50 Synonyms & Antonyms for DELUSION | Thesaurus 
  5. REALITY Synonyms: 48 Synonyms & Antonyms for REALITY  | Thesaurus Â