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• wilder
  wilder

  verb (used with object)

  to cause to lose one's way.
• Wilder
  Wilder

  noun

  Billy Samuel Wilder, 1906–2002, U.S. film director, producer, and writer; born in Austria.

wilder

¹ American  

[wil-der] / ˈwɪl dər /

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to lose one's way.

2. to bewilder.

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verb (used without object)

1. to lose one's way.

2. to be bewildered.

wilder ² American  

[wahyl-der] / ˈwaɪl dər /

adjective

1. comparative of wild.

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Wilder ³ American  

[wahyl-der] / ˈwaɪl dər /

noun

1. Billy Samuel Wilder, 1906–2002, U.S. film director, producer, and writer; born in Austria.

2. Laura Ingalls 1867–1957, U.S. writer of children's books.

3. Thornton (Niven) 1897–1975, U.S. novelist and playwright.

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Wilder ¹ British  

/ ˈwaɪldə /

noun

1. Billy, real name Samuel Wilder. 1906–2002, US film director and screenwriter, born in Austria. His films include Double Indemnity (1944), The Lost Weekend (1945), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Some Like it Hot (1959), The Apartment (1960), and Buddy Buddy (1981)

2. Thornton. 1897–1975 US novelist and dramatist. His works include the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) and the play The Skin of Our Teeth (1942)

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wilder ² British  

/ ˈwɪldə /

verb

1. to lead or be led astray

2. to bewilder or become bewildered

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Other Word Forms

• wilderment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of wilder

First recorded in 1605–15; perhaps extracted from wilderness; intransitive use probably by association with wander

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wilder Wilder

America had its latchkey generation and, along with that, a growing sense that the world is a dangerous place, especially its wilder parts.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

Antosca promises that in the back half of the series, the show will get even wilder and more destabilizing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

Sir David was close to home again for this series, which lifted the lid on the teeming activity that can make UK gardens just as fascinating as wilder and more exotic places.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

Some of the wilder estimates of $200 for Brent suggest to Brooks an assumption that price elasticity is zero – in other words, demand is not impacted at all.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

“He would have rid that horse, too,” pa says, “if I hadn’t a stopped him. A durn spotted critter wilder than a cat- tymount. A deliberate flouting of her and of me.”

From "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner

Reading “The Wilder Way” might not overhaul your life, but it will surely help you see how easily a fuller one can be had.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

When she was alive, Wilder herself admitted that her novels were extensively embellished, mainly by her daughter Rose Wilder Lane.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

The black cowboy hat Laura sports is straight from a photograph of Wilder as a girl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

While Wilder's wife Karen B. Wilder said she was "delighted" the series "celebrates the imagination" he brought to the role, some fans questioned the decision, describing it as "disrespectful, external" and "a plastic substitute, external".

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

She invited Amy Wilder, an Oakland High School resource specialist who was the faculty adviser for the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater