fester
fester Lexical Profile
fester Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To become worse, more intense, or more resentful over time, especially due to being ignored or unaddressed (of a negative feeling, dispute, or problem).
"Instead of resolving their disagreement openly, they allowed the resentment to fester for years."
To become septic, inflamed, and filled with pus (of a wound, cut, or sore).
"Without proper antiseptic care, even a minor scrape can quickly fester in a humid climate."
To rot, decay, or deteriorate in a neglected or stagnant state (of garbage, organic matter, or a place).
"Piles of uncollected rubbish were left to fester in the summer heat during the sanitation strike."
• noun
A small, inflamed, pus-filled sore or ulcer on the skin.
"The untreated splinter eventually produced a painful fester on his thumb."
• Rhymes for fester
Word Origin & Etymology
Entered Middle English from Old French festre, a variant of fistle ('fistula' or 'ulcer'), ultimately derived from Latin fistula, meaning 'pipe' or 'ulcerous sore'.