festered; festering
ˈfe-st(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to generate pus
The wound became inflamed and festered.
3
a
: to cause increasing poisoning, irritation, or bitterness : rankle
dissent festered unchecked
His resentment festered for years.
b
: to undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration
allowed slums to fester
: to make inflamed or corrupt
: a suppurating sore : pustule
Did you know?
Both noun and verb forms of the English word fester come from the Latin noun fistula, meaning “pipe” or, less pleasantly, “fistulous ulcer.” Accordingly, the noun fester refers to a sore that forms or discharges pus, while the oldest sense of the verb fester means “to generate pus.” A boil, for example, is a festering infection of a hair follicle. Over time, the verb—as many words do—picked up a figurative sense, and fester began to be used not only for the worsening of a wound but for a worsening state, situation, etc.
Examples of fester in a Sentence
Verb
His wounds festered for days before he got medical attention.
His feelings of resentment have festered for years.
We should deal with these problems now instead of allowing them to fester.
Noun
pus oozed out of the fester
Recent Examples on the Web
Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
The house festering in ways only the rich and crazy can allow.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
But Eisner speculates that this may have festered within Ela over the ensuing years, thereby sparking her desire for vengeance on Forde—who may have confessed to his affair with Ela to avoid being prosecuted for the 1321 raid.
—ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
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Verb
An argument festered over whether there had been help from America.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
The house festering in ways only the rich and crazy can allow.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025
But Eisner speculates that this may have festered within Ela over the ensuing years, thereby sparking her desire for vengeance on Forde—who may have confessed to his affair with Ela to avoid being prosecuted for the 1321 raid.
—ArsTechnica, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fester
Cite this Entry
“Fester.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fester. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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