wilderness

¹ American  

[wil-der-nis] / ˈwɪl dər nɪs /

noun

1. a wild and uncultivated region, as of forest or desert, uninhabited or inhabited only by wild animals; a tract of wasteland.

2. a tract of land officially designated as such and protected by the U.S. government.

3. any desolate tract, as of open sea.

4. a part of a garden set apart for plants growing with unchecked luxuriance.

5. a bewildering mass or collection.

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Wilderness ² American  

[wil-der-nis] / ˈwɪl dər nɪs /

noun

1. a wooded area in NE Virginia: several battles fought here in 1864 between armies of Grant and Lee.

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wilderness ¹ British  

/ ˈwɪldənɪs /

noun

1. a wild, uninhabited, and uncultivated region

2. any desolate tract or area

3. a confused mass or collection

4. a person, group, etc, making a suggestion or plea that is ignored

5. no longer having influence, recognition, or publicity

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Wilderness ² British  

/ ˈwɪldənɪs /

noun

1. the barren regions to the south and east of Palestine, esp those in which the Israelites wandered before entering the Promised Land and in which Christ fasted for 40 days and nights

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Related Words

See desert ¹.

Etymology

Origin of wilderness

1150–1200; Middle English; Old English *wil ( d ) dēornes, equivalent to either wil ( d ) dēor wild beast ( wild, deer ) + -nes -ness, or wilddēoren wild, savage ( wilddēor + -en -en ² ) + ( -n ) es -ness; probably reinforced by Middle English wildernes, genitive of wildern wilderness (noun use of Old English wilddēoren ), in phrases like wildernes land land of wilderness

Example Sentences

Less wilderness, more complex life, along with better human lives.

From The Wall Street Journal

Curran was in the international wilderness a year ago but forced his way back into the England squad.

From Barron's

Grylls, 51, said the show created a framework which allowed people to confront their problems head on, because "there's nowhere to hide" in the wilderness.

From BBC

Although Antarctica is often viewed as untouched wilderness, previous research has detected plastic fragments in fresh snow and nearby seawater.

From Science Daily

He was recalled after being in the wilderness for more than two years and made a statement against New Zealand with a hundred in a T20 international a fortnight ago.

From Barron's

Related Words

• back country
• desert
• forest
• jungle
• outback
• wasteland