wild

[ wahyld ]

/ waɪld /

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See synonyms for: wild / wilder / wildest / wilds on Thesaurus.com

adjective, wild·er, wild·est.

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.

adverb

in a wild manner; wildly.

noun

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.

verb (used with object), wild·ed, wild·ing.

to travel around as a group, attacking or assaulting (people) in a random and violent way: The man was wilded and left for dead.

OTHER 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.

See synonyms for wild on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR wild

1 tame.

See antonyms for wild on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

before 900; Middle English, Old English wilde; cognate with Dutch, German wild,Old Norse villr,Swedish vild,Gothic wiltheis

OTHER WORDS FROM wild

wildly, adverbwildness, nounhalf-wild, adjectivehalf-wildly, adverb

half-wildness, nouno·ver·wild, adjectiveo·ver·wild·ly, adverbo·ver·wild·ness, nounsem·i·wild, adjectivesem·i·wild·ly, adverbsem·i·wild·ness, nounun·wild, adjectiveun·wild·ly, adverbun·wild·ness, noun

Words nearby wild

Wilbur, Wilburite, wilco, Wilcox, Wilcoxon test, wild, wild-and-woolly, wild bean, wild bergamot, wild bleeding-heart, wild boar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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 News
The 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 Review
That’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|Digiday
When 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 News

Tesla, 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|DAILY BEAST
The 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|DAILY BEAST
Exactly 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|DAILY BEAST
It 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|DAILY BEAST
Everyone 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|DAILY BEAST
They 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 Fay
The 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 Tracy
A 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 Wills
People are busy ballooning or driving; shooting like stars along railroads; or migrating like swallows or wild-geese.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
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)

wild

/ (waɪld) /

adjective

(of animals) living independently of man; not domesticated or tame

(of plants) growing in a natural state; not cultivated

uninhabited or uncultivated; desolatea wild stretch of land

living in a savage or uncivilized waywild tribes

lacking restraintwild merriment

of great violence or intensitya wild storm

disorderly or chaoticwild thoughts; wild talk

dishevelled; untidywild hair

in a state of extreme emotional intensitywild with anger

recklesswild speculations

not calculated; randoma wild guess

unconventional; fantastic; crazywild 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 pleasesjacks are wild

wild and woolly

rough; untamed; barbarous
(of theories, plans, etc) not fully thought out

adverb

in a wild manner

run wild

to grow without cultivation or care
to behave without restraint

noun

(often plural) a desolate, uncultivated, or uninhabited region

the wild

a free natural state of living
the wilderness

Derived forms of wild

wildish, adjectivewildly, adverbwildness, noun

Word Origin for wild

Old English wilde; related to Old Saxon, Old High German wildi, Old Norse villr, Gothic wiltheis

British Dictionary definitions for wild (2 of 2)

Wild

/ (waɪld) /

noun

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

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

wild

OTHER WORDS FOR wild

OPPOSITES FOR wild

Idioms about wild

Origin of wild

OTHER WORDS FROM wild

Words nearby wild

Words related to wild

How to use wild in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wild (1 of 2)

Derived forms of wild

Word Origin for wild

British Dictionary definitions for wild (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with wild