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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use wild in a sentence
To get past these limitations, scientists have proposed creating self-disseminating vaccines that would naturally spread in wild populations.
Can Vaccines for Wildlife Prevent Human Pandemics? | Rodrigo Pérez Ortega | August 24, 2020 | Quanta MagazineCarolina won its final three games of the regular season to ensure a wild-card bid in the playoffs and then proceeded to shock the hockey world with an opening-round, upset win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.
Can The Hurricanes Win The Stanley Cup With Mediocre Goaltending? | Terrence Doyle | August 11, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThe playoffs will include every division’s first- and second-place teams, along with two extra wild cards from each league.
The Winners And Losers In MLB’s New Playoff Format | Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com) | July 24, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThe Santa Fe team’s theory is currently “an important proof of principle” — “an organization scheme create some reasonable order in that wild west of biology,” Laubichler said.
What Is an Individual? Biology Seeks Clues in Information Theory. | Jordana Cepelewicz | July 16, 2020 | Quanta MagazineIt’s not clear yet whether eggs survive in this way in the wild.
Fish eggs can hatch after being eaten and pooped out by ducks | Carolyn Wilke | June 29, 2020 | Science News
This is a Hollywood director at the height of his powers creating original, wildly ambitious epics.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’ | Marlow Stern | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTCoca-Cola was a wildly popular drink and hangover remedy because, well, it contained cocaine.
And yet—as any private who went through basic can tell you—good weapons training means not shooting wildly 14 times.
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall | Matt Gallagher | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEatWith—the latest in a parade of wildly popular Israeli startups—can help.
Does the process of writing a novel differ wildly from writing a screenplay?
David Cronenberg: Why Frustrated Novelists Hate the Screenplay | Craig Hubert | October 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMobs of people filled the streets, wildly denouncing the incapability of a Government which could lead them to such disaster.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanUpon its tumultuous volume they swept forward, side by side… striking out wildly.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodAt the end of the first shocked instant, they both laughed wildly, desperately.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonThe horses pricked up their ears, snuffed the night air wildly, and showed every symptom of being ill at ease.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneShe had sunk down beside the bed, her head was buried in the pillow; she was sobbing wildly.
The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie
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.
Browse