1
a
: living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated
wild ducks
b(1)
: growing or produced without human aid or care
wild honey
(2)
: related to or resembling a corresponding cultivated or domesticated organism
c
: of or relating to wild organisms
the wild state
2
a
: not inhabited or cultivated
wild land
b
: not amenable to human habitation or cultivation
also : desolate
3
a(1)
: not subject to restraint or regulation : uncontrolled
also : unruly
(2)
: emotionally overcome
wild with grief
also : passionately eager or enthusiastic
was wild to own a toy train J. C. Furnas
b
: marked by turbulent agitation : stormy
a wild night
c
: going beyond normal or conventional bounds : fantastic
wild ideas
also : sensational
d
: indicative of strong passion, desire, or emotion
a wild gleam of delight in his eyesIrish Digest
4
5
: characteristic of, appropriate to, or expressive of wilderness, wildlife, or a simple or uncivilized society
6
a
: deviating from the intended or expected course
wild spellingC. W. Cunnington
the throw was wild
also : tending to throw inaccurately
a wild pitcher
b
: having no basis in known or surmised fact
a wild guess
7
of a playing card : able to represent any card designated by the holder
wildish adjective
wildness noun

wild

2 of 3

noun

1
: a sparsely inhabited or uncultivated region or tract : wilderness
2
: a wild, free, or natural state or existence

wild

3 of 3

adverb

: in a wild manner: such as
a
: without regulation or control
plants that grow wild
b
: off an intended or expected course

Examples of wild in a Sentence

Adjective wild places high in the mountains I felt a wild rage. He was wild with anger. The crowd went wild when the band took the stage. Noun They hiked through the wilds of Maine. The plants were collected from the wild. They will return the animal to the wild when it is healthy. Could these animals survive in the wild? I've only seen that animal in a zoo, never in the wild. Adverb These plants grow wild on the roadside. as soon as the doors opened, early-morning bargain hunters ran wild through the store
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Something that lived only in my wildest dreams and highest manifestations !!! Issy Ronald, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Many of the 300,000 people remaining in the north skip at least one meal a day and are resorting to eating animal feed and scavenging for wild plants. Yasmeen Abutaleb, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Many in Gaza have been living off little more than a native wild plant known as Egyptian mallow, commonly eaten by Palestinians. Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 In most of the parrot fever cases that have been documented since 2023, exposure to wild and/or domestic birds was reported, the WHO said. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 But the ball was a bit too wild and skipped off Schlesinger’s glove. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024 Watch Spaceman on Netflix Murder Mystery The whodunit genre took a wild and hilarious turn with 2019’s Murder Mystery. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 Monitoring wild, free-ranging shark populations repeatedly is no easy feat, leaving a critical gap in evaluating conservation policies. Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 In spite of that, Harrison did have a positive takeaway from his not-so-effectively wild outing. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
In August, Seaquarium received backlash after Lolita the orca whale died of kidney failure days before she was supposed to be released back into this wild. Ayana Archie, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 As seen in the trailer, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, preparations get a little wild from the start. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Not long ago, visiting exotic animals in their habitats was the stuff of intrepid explorers who ventured weeks into remote wilds. Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 According to the team, the study could contribute to shifting welfare standards for all species of cats, whether they are domesticated or undomesticated, tame or wild. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024 Find it on Amazon Upgrade Your Decor With This Luxe Valet Tray Go a little wild with this zebra tray that is perfect to keep your keys and valuables. Katiee McKinstry, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2024 Master of Stars is a quirky 5 reel title with a slew of bonuses, scatter symbols, and wilds, and, at the time of writing this, a jackpot of over 200k. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024 Lollapalooza increased its commitment to supporting environmental causes on Wednesday (Jan. 24) with the announcement of a new partnership with the conservation organization Re:wild. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2024 Rain started to fall in the metro area close to 2 p.m. on Sunday and by the time the telecast ended and guests started to funnel out, the scene surrounding Crypto.com Arena was wet, windy and wild. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Feb. 2024
Adverb
All of it wild-caught. Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 14 Aug. 2020 Our first stop is in a wild-looking stretch 200 yards south of the railroad tracks and State Street. Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2023 Salmon from the North Pacific Ocean that is wild-caught, high in quality protein, and high in omega-3 long-chain fatty acids including EPA and DHA. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2022 Just 18 P900s will be built, and the wild-looking hypercar will cost $3 million. Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 30 Nov. 2022 Even their currently available salmon was wild-caught off central California. Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2022 Five treatment rooms house regionally inspired treatments and products which feature natural, bloom-to-bottle ingredients, some of which have been grown or wild-harvested on-site. Yola Robert, Forbes, 26 May 2022 During the Depression, people ate wild-growing weeds such as dandelions out of necessity. Gabriel Popkin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022 Advocates encourage businesses to use local, seasonal, and wild-grown ingredients, and tap into ancestral farming and foraging techniques. Zinara Rathnayake, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wild.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English wilde, from Old English; akin to Old High German wildi wild, Welsh gwyllt

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

circa 1562, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wild was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wild

Cite this Entry

“Wild.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wild

1 of 3 adjective
1
a
: living in a state of nature and not under human control and care
wild animals
b
: growing or produced without human aid and care
wild honey
c
: of or relating to wild organisms
the wild state
2
: not inhabited or cultivated
wild land
3
a
: not being under control
wild rage
a wild young stallion
b
: marked by disturbance and confusion
a wild night
c
: going beyond what is usual : fantastic
wild colors
wild ideas
4
: not civilized : savage
5
: being far off the intended course
a wild pitch
6
: having no basis in fact
a wild guess
7
: able to represent any card designated by the holder
poker with deuces wild
wildly
ˈwī(ə)l-(d)lē
adverb
wildness noun

wild

2 of 3 noun

wild

3 of 3 adverb
1
: in a wild manner : wildly
2
: without rules or control
running wild

More from Merriam-Webster on wild

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