wildlife
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of wildlife
Explanation
Animals that aren't tamed or domesticated are collectively known as wildlife. One of the things people love about visiting the Galapagos Islands is seeing all the unusual wildlife. All of the wild animals that live in a particular area (and sometimes the plants as well) fall under the category of wildlife. If you're dedicated to protecting wildlife, it means you care about keeping native animals from being harmed by humans. A wildlife refuge or sanctuary is a place where animals can roam without being hunted, and native plants grow freely.
Vocabulary lists containing wildlife
Endangered Species and Wildlife Conservation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This touch-sensing ability could help monitor wildlife movement, such as animals passing through a field.
From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026
"I's a very different offering up there. You've still got beaches, but then you've got greenery and mountains and wildlife."
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
The presence of woodland ecosystems in southern Doggerland 16,000 years ago also suggests the area could have supported abundant wildlife and provided valuable resources for humans, including animals such as boars.
From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026
Surrey Wildlife Trust has launched a new fundraising drive to help bring back local wildlife, including hedgehogs, frogs and toads.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
We learned that wildlife, like deer and butterflies, depend on native plants for survival, and if we remove the bushes and small trees along our coastlines, then hurricanes could cause increased coastal erosion.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.