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

Fewer can afford much else, let alone purchase hundreds of acres of unspoiled wilderness.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

Sometimes hungry villagers walk for more than three hours into the wilderness before locating the trees.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Small-caps have been in the wilderness for over 15 years, points out Colas, DataTrek’s co-founder.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

He named the dog “Delta” and, according to his website, that “was just the beginning of many more wilderness rescues to come.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

White found himself wandering through a wilderness of mirrors—his work more akin to espionage than to criminal investigation.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

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