Wild West

noun

variants or less commonly wild west

1

the Wild West : the western U.S. in its frontier period characterized by roughness and lawlessness

stories about the Wild West

2

: something that is chaotic and uncontrolled especially due to a lack of regulation or oversight

… mulling the idea of regulating an industry that has up until now been something of a Wild West.

—Michelle McQuigg

The online ecosystem … is a Wild West of information and misinformation that is largely unmonitored, distributed in an instant, and posted by anyone.

—Alan Marcus

Wild West adjective

or less commonly wild west

a bar with a Wild West theme

a wild west situation/approach

Examples of Wild West in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This two-hundred-seat venue, which looks a bit like a Wild West opera house, first opened in 1921, providing entertainment to Standard Oil workers. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025

These days the Bozeman Hot Springs experience is less Wild West and more holistic health, with 12 different indoor and outdoor pools ranging in temps from 59 degrees to 106 degrees, wet and dry saunas, and a full workout facility. —Graham Averill, Outside, 12 Dec. 2025

Tombstone The town of Tombstone, which sits in the southeast corner of the state, has leaned into its Wild West origins. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025

Wild West Walking Tour is $20 for adults, children 6-12, $10. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Wild West

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed

Kids Definition

Wild West

noun

: the western U.S. in its frontier period characterized by roughness and lawlessness