wild
living in a state of nature; not tamed or domesticated: a wild animal;wild geese.
growing or produced without cultivation or the care of humans, as plants, flowers, fruit, or honey: wild cherries.
uncultivated, uninhabited, or waste: wild country.
uncivilized or barbarous: wild tribes.
of unrestrained violence, fury, intensity, etc.; violent; furious: wild strife;wild storms.
characterized by or indicating violent feelings or excitement, as actions or a person's appearance: wild cries;a wild look.
frantic or distracted; crazy: to drive someone wild.
violently or uncontrollably affected: wild with rage;wild with pain.
undisciplined, unruly, or lawless: a gang of wild boys.
unrestrained, untrammeled, or unbridled: wild enthusiasm.
disregardful of moral restraints as to pleasurable indulgence: He repented his wild youth.
unrestrained by reason or prudence: wild schemes.
amazing or incredible: Isn't that wild about Bill getting booted out of the club?
disorderly or disheveled: wild hair.
wide of the mark: He scored on a wild throw.
Informal. intensely eager or enthusiastic: wild to get started;wild about the new styles.
Cards. (of a card) having its value decided by the wishes of the players.
Metallurgy. (of molten metal) generating large amounts of gas during cooling, so as to cause violent bubbling.
in a wild manner; wildly.
Often wilds . an uncultivated, uninhabited, or desolate region or tract; waste; wilderness; desert: a cabin in the wild;a safari to the wilds of Africa.
to travel around as a group, attacking or assaulting (people) in a random and violent way: The man was wilded and left for dead.
Idioms about wild
blow wild, (of an oil or gas well) to spout in an uncontrolled way, as in a blowout.: Compare blowout (def. 4).
in the wild,
in a natural state or in the wilderness.
in the real world; in real life:language learning in the classroom and in the wild.
run wild,
to grow unchecked: The rambler roses are running wild.
to show lack of restraint or control: Those children are allowed to run wild.
Origin of wild
1Other words for wild
1 | undomesticated, untamed, unbroken; ferocious |
4 | barbarian, savage |
5 | tempestuous, stormy, frenzied, turbulent |
6 | boisterous |
7 | insane |
9 | self-willed, riotous, unrestrained, wayward |
10 | uncontrollable |
12 | reckless, rash, extravagant, impracticable |
13 | grotesque, bizarre, strange, fanciful |
14 | unkempt |
Opposites for wild
Other words from wild
- wildly, adverb
- wildness, noun
- half-wild, adjective
- half-wildly, adverb
- half-wildness, noun
- o·ver·wild, adjective
- o·ver·wild·ly, adverb
- o·ver·wild·ness, noun
- sem·i·wild, adjective
- sem·i·wild·ly, adverb
- sem·i·wild·ness, noun
- un·wild, adjective
- un·wild·ly, adverb
- un·wild·ness, noun
Words Nearby wild
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wild in a sentence
Still, in an ozone-polluted environment in the wild, tobacco hawkmoths would have to be close enough to a tobacco flower to see it to learn its altered scent, and Knaden isn’t sure how often that will occur.
This moth may outsmart smog by learning to like pollution-altered aromas | Carmen Drahl | September 11, 2020 | Science NewsThe machine learning adds just enough of a wild card on top of the scripted tracks to give each user a unique mix.
Create your own moody quarantine music with Google’s AI | Karen Hao | September 4, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThat’s a wild claim until you consider that the series’ spin-off has been attracting more viewers than would-be franchise contenders like “Real Housewives” and “Below Deck.”
As AT&T considers downsizing its media business, whither WarnerMedia? | Tim Peterson | September 2, 2020 | DigidayWhen people put eggs in the wild, there’s no antibiotic, so daughters die.
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been OK’d for a first U.S. test flight | Susan Milius | August 22, 2020 | Science NewsTesla, the pioneer of the category, has experienced wild stock growth over the past 12 months, culminating in the expectation that it will join the S&P 500.
Electric-vehicle startup Canoo to go public, joining the wave of companies chasing Tesla’s success | dzanemorris | August 18, 2020 | Fortune
He has wild swings between trying not to care about Lana and the baby, and being completely obsessed by it.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS | Marlow Stern | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe sound of birds, quail, even doe, make a wild grid of noise.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTExactly when the transition to modern domestic creature took place, for a bird that is wild to this day, is controversial.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity | William O’Connor | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is wild that something that would seem to be so scandalous would just disappear from the press.
Inside the Lifetime Whitney Houston Movie’s Lesbian Lover Storyline | Kevin Fallon | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEveryone who saw Beasts of the Southern wild knows Wallis is a unique talent, but still, no one saw this coming.
The Golden Globes Sobers Up (Sort Of): Years of Ridicule and Bribery Rumors Scares HFPA Straight | Marlow Stern | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey are so rich in harmony, so weird, so wild, that when you hear them you are like a sea-weed cast upon the bosom of the ocean.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayThe white men served their smoking cannon with a wild energy that, for a time, made the gallant nine equal to a thousand.
The Red Year | Louis TracyA cricket-match was in progress, but the bowling and batting were extremely wild, thanks to The Warren strong beer.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsPeople are busy ballooning or driving; shooting like stars along railroads; or migrating like swallows or wild-geese.
Suddenly he shot a disturbing glance at Tressan's face, and the corner of his wild-cat mustachios twitched.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
British Dictionary definitions for wild (1 of 2)
/ (waɪld) /
(of animals) living independently of man; not domesticated or tame
(of plants) growing in a natural state; not cultivated
uninhabited or uncultivated; desolate: a wild stretch of land
living in a savage or uncivilized way: wild tribes
lacking restraint: wild merriment
of great violence or intensity: a wild storm
disorderly or chaotic: wild thoughts; wild talk
dishevelled; untidy: wild hair
in a state of extreme emotional intensity: wild with anger
reckless: wild speculations
not calculated; random: a wild guess
unconventional; fantastic; crazy: wild friends
(postpositive foll by about) informal intensely enthusiastic or excited
(of a card, such as a joker or deuce in some games) able to be given any value the holder pleases: jacks are wild
wild and woolly
rough; untamed; barbarous
(of theories, plans, etc) not fully thought out
in a wild manner
run wild
to grow without cultivation or care
to behave without restraint
(often plural) a desolate, uncultivated, or uninhabited region
the wild
a free natural state of living
the wilderness
Origin of wild
1Derived forms of wild
- wildish, adjective
- wildly, adverb
- wildness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Wild (2 of 2)
/ (waɪld) /
Jonathan. ?1682–1725, British criminal, who organized a network of thieves, highwaymen, etc, while also working as an informer: said to have sent over a hundred men to the gallows before being hanged himself
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with wild
In addition to the idioms beginning with wild
- wild about, be
- wild card
- wild goose chase
- wild horses couldn't drag me
- wild oats
- wild pitch
also see:
- go hog wild
- go wilding
- run amok (wild)
- sow one's wild oats
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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