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RELATED WORDS

violently, fiercely, recklessly, ferociously, passionately, excitedly, madly, disorderly, rashly, avidly, overzealously

Idioms

    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,
    1. in a natural state or in the wilderness.
    2. in the real world; in real life:language learning in the classroom and in the wild.
    run wild,
    1. to grow unchecked: The rambler roses are running wild.
    2. 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
Related formswild·ly, adverbwild·ness, nounhalf-wild, adjectivehalf-wild·ly, adverbhalf-wild·ness, 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

Synonyms for wild

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wild ON THESAURUS.COM
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.

Antonyms for wild

1. tame.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wildly

Contemporary Examples of wildly

Historical Examples of wildly

  • "I'm going to her," shouted Dick wildly, wrenching himself free.

    Viviette

    William J. Locke

  • Surely it was more than a mere hope that made my heart beat so wildly!

    Green Mansions

    W. H. Hudson

  • I was furious and wildly excited with the turn my joke had taken.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • She was surprised, and so was every one; while, as for me, I was wildly delighted to surprise them all.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • I was transfigured with joy and wildly excited, so sure I felt of a first prize.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for wildly

Wild

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

wild

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

adverb

in a wild manner
run wild
  1. to grow without cultivation or care
  2. to behave without restraint

noun

(often plural) a desolate, uncultivated, or uninhabited region
the wild
  1. a free natural state of living
  2. the wilderness
Derived Formswildish, adjectivewildly, adverbwildness, noun

Word Origin for wild

Old English wilde; related to Old Saxon, Old High German wildi, Old Norse villr, Gothic wiltheis
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
Word Origin and History for wildly

wild

v.

"to run wild," Old English awildian (see wild (adj.)). Wilding in the teen gang sense first recorded 1989.

wild

adj.

Old English wilde "in the natural state, uncultivated, undomesticated," from Proto-Germanic *wilthijaz (cf. Old Saxon wildi, Old Norse villr, Old Frisian wilde, Dutch wild, Old High German wildi, German wild, Gothic wilþeis "wild," German Wild (n.) "game"), probably from PIE *ghwelt- (cf. Welsh gwyllt "untamed"), related to the base of Latin ferus (see fierce).

Ursula ... hath bin at all the Salsbury rasis, dancing like wild with Mr Clarks. [letter, 1674]

Meaning "sexually dissolute, loose" is attested from mid-13c. U.S. slang sense of "exciting, excellent" is recorded from 1955. The noun meaning "uncultivated or desolate region" is first attested 1590s in the wilds. Baseball wild pitch is recorded from 1867. Wildest dreams first attested 1961 (in Carson McCullers). Wild West first recorded 1849. Wild Turkey brand of whiskey (Austin Nichols Co.) in use from 1942.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with wildly

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.