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• wild
  wild

  adjective

  living in a state of nature; not tamed or domesticated.
• Wild
  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

American  

[wahyld] / waɪld /

adjective

• wilder,
  comparative
• wildest
  superlative

1. living in a state of nature; not tamed or domesticated.

   a wild animal;

   wild geese.

   Synonyms:

   ferocious, unbroken

   Antonyms:

   tame

2. growing or produced without cultivation or the care of humans, as plants, flowers, fruit, or honey.

   wild cherries.

3. uncultivated, uninhabited, or waste.

   wild country.

4. uncivilized or barbarous.

   wild tribes.

   Synonyms:

   savage, barbarian

5. of unrestrained violence, fury, intensity, etc.; violent; furious.

   wild strife;

   wild storms.

   Synonyms:

   turbulent, frenzied, stormy, tempestuous

6. characterized by or indicating violent feelings or excitement, as actions or a person's appearance.

   wild cries;

   a wild look.

   Synonyms:

   boisterous

7. frantic or distracted; crazy.

   to drive someone wild.

   Synonyms:

   insane

8. violently or uncontrollably affected.

   wild with rage;

   wild with pain.

9. undisciplined, unruly, or lawless.

   a gang of wild boys.

   Synonyms:

   wayward, unrestrained, riotous, self-willed

10. unrestrained, untrammeled, or unbridled.

    wild enthusiasm.

    Synonyms:

    uncontrollable

11. disregardful of moral restraints as to pleasurable indulgence.

    He repented his wild youth.

12. unrestrained by reason or prudence.

    wild schemes.

    Synonyms:

    rash, reckless, impracticable, extravagant

13. amazing or incredible.

    Isn't that wild about Bill getting booted out of the club?

    Synonyms:

    fanciful, strange, bizarre, grotesque

14. disorderly or disheveled.

    wild hair.

    Synonyms:

    unkempt

15. wide of the mark.

    He scored on a wild throw.

16. Informal. intensely eager or enthusiastic.

    wild to get started;

    wild about the new styles.

17. Cards. (of a card) having its value decided by the wishes of the players.

18. Metallurgy. (of molten metal) generating large amounts of gas during cooling, so as to cause violent bubbling.

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adverb

1. in a wild manner; wildly.

noun

1. 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.

verb (used with object)

wilded, wilding

1. 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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. blow wild, (of an oil or gas well) to spout in an uncontrolled way, as in a blowout.

wild ¹ British  

/ waɪld /

adjective

1. (of animals) living independently of man; not domesticated or tame

2. (of plants) growing in a natural state; not cultivated

3. uninhabited or uncultivated; desolate

   a wild stretch of land

4. living in a savage or uncivilized way

   wild tribes

5. lacking restraint

   wild merriment

6. of great violence or intensity

   a wild storm

7. disorderly or chaotic

   wild thoughts

   wild talk

8. dishevelled; untidy

   wild hair

9. in a state of extreme emotional intensity

   wild with anger

10. reckless

    wild speculations

11. not calculated; random

    a wild guess

12. unconventional; fantastic; crazy

    wild friends

13. informal intensely enthusiastic or excited

14. (of a card, such as a joker or deuce in some games) able to be given any value the holder pleases

    jacks are wild

15. 1. rough; untamed; barbarous

    2. (of theories, plans, etc) not fully thought out

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adverb

1. in a wild manner

2. 1. to grow without cultivation or care

   2. to behave without restraint

noun

1. (often plural) a desolate, uncultivated, or uninhabited region

2. 1. a free natural state of living

   2. the wilderness

Wild ² British  

/ waɪld /

noun

1. 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

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wild More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing wild

• go hog wild
• go wilding
• run amok (wild)
• sow one's wild oats

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-wildness
  noun
• overwildness
  noun
• semiwildness
  noun
• unwildness
  noun
• wildness
  noun
• half-wild
  adjective
• overwild
  adjective
• semiwild
  adjective
• unwild
  adjective
• wildish
  adjective
• half-wildly
  adverb
• overwildly
  adverb
• semiwildly
  adverb
• unwildly
  adverb
• wildly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• wilder
  comparative
• wildest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of wild

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English wilde; cognate with Dutch, German wild, Old Norse villr, Swedish vild, Gothic wiltheis

Explanation

Something that's wild lives in nature and isn't tamed. Your pet poodle isn't wild, but the groundhog that lives under your garden shed is wild. An animal or plant in its native habitat is wild, like a wild dingo or a wild strawberry. An untamed bit of nature, like your overgrown back yard, or a stormy ocean, is also wild. If a person is wild, he might be unrestrained, crazy, or even enthusiastic — like someone who's wild about cabaret music. The term "to run wild" means to grow unrestrained, undisciplined, like a wild animal or an imagination that isn't held back by rules.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wild Wild wilder wildest wilded wilding

“This is the big wild card for the Fed,” Guatieri of BMO said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

Autumn is often a time of wild swings in the weather.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

"It's incredibly hard to observe snakes in the wild before they slither away, so our knowledge about L. slashi is limited," says Ruane.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

The rare habitat is home to deep-rooting wild flowers and grasses like great burnet and devil's-bit scabious.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

No rifle to hunt or protect us from wild animals.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Charlie Bowes-Lyon, co-founder of deodorant brand Wild, says attitude matters far more than having the perfect set of skills.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

He is approached by an old Army pal, Wild Bill Grimsley, now in charge of shepherding Asian high-rollers around the top-of-the-line Bacchanal casino.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

On today’s bait menu: a tin of Wild Planet sardines, a bag of tuna flakes and a clamshell container of roasted chicken wings Navratil picked up from 7-Eleven on the way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

My last quote is a humblebrag for sure, from an email in 2012 where I hyped up the Wild Flag album to him, and he replied:

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Your roora, Wild Child. Your granny’s gold nuggets.”

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Things got even wilder once the film went into release: At a preview in California, a jeering audience spotted Warner Bros. executives and chased them out into the street.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The roles turned out wilder and more varied than he might have expected but his seriousness and sense of fun never faded, pushing boundaries and himself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

America had its latchkey generation and, along with that, a growing sense that the world is a dangerous place, especially its wilder parts.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

"Mission Wild is about accepting that challenge and setting out to achieve a wilder Gloucestershire, with benefits for people, communities and nature," McLaughlin added.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

Redemption always loved a good story, the wilder the better.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

But the wildest party was on Wembley Way, where Fox Sports had an outdoor studio for its live pre-game show.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Wall Street endured a painful selloff on Wednesday, as new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh presided over one of the wildest Fed decision days for markets in recent memory.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

But this is beyond the wildest dreams of Pentagons past.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

“The results of AB 66 and this first phase go beyond my wildest imaginations,” said Boerner, who hopes this proof of concept lays the groundwork for a future statewide alert system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

It was a day beyond our wildest dreams, and my eyes grew misty as we approached the fender.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Or is there space still wilded enough for fleeting magic in suburban sprawl?

From Salon ● May 10, 2024

Known for its online presence, P1Harmony achieved a viral moment back in 2021, wilding out on a livestream when fans suggested they play “La Chona” by the norteño band Los Tucanes de Tijuana.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025

"Hollywood is on time out. I'm just going to put that right to the camera. Hollywood is wilding right now."

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2024

“Our young people are out here wilding sometimes, and whatever it takes for us to get them under control, we have to do it,” he said.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 8, 2022

One of my favorite style of tweets is when people are like, “the brands are at it again,” and it usually just means brands are wilding on Twitter.

From The Verge ● Aug. 23, 2022

“They wilding out here,” DeVante says with a chuckle, but grabs his side.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• exciting
• far-out
• groovy
• interesting
• jazzy
• remarkable