feral

adjective fe·ral \ ˈfir-əl , ˈfer- ; ˈfe-rəl \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: feral in a Sentence

Definition of feral

1 : of, relating to, or suggestive of a wild beast

feral teeth

feral instincts

2 a : not domesticated or cultivated : wild

feral animals

b : having escaped from domestication and become wild

feral cats

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feral

noun

See feral defined for English-language learners

See feral defined for kids

Examples of feral in a Sentence

They led a feral existence.
animal experts discourage homeowners from trying to adopt feral animals as pets

Recent Examples of feral from the Web

According to the Estates Community Facebook page, River was one of several feral cats in the neighborhood residents have been taking care of, but are still outdoor cats.

— david goodhue, miamiherald, "Home security camera shows Florida panther attack house cat," 7 June 2018
Outdoor pet cats are wreaking havoc on bird populations and feral cats are an even bigger problem.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Australia Builds World’s Largest Cat-Proof Fence to Protect Threatened Species," 30 May 2018
Estimates of the number of feral cats in the United States range from 30 million to 80 million.

— david streitfeld, New York Times, "As Google Feeds Cats, Owl Lovers Cry Foul," 26 May 2018
Her passion, according to Bailey, was feeding and protecting feral cats.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "Families try to sort fact from rumor after Jefferson Parish triple homicide," 22 May 2018
Western Grand Canyon is an unforgiving, feral landscape.

— annette mcgivney, Outside Online, "300 Flights Through the Grand Canyon's Helicopter Alley," 24 May 2018
Down Under mystery up in the air and its blond-bonneted, Renoir-ish women lost among the venomous snakes, poisonous ants and whatever dreadful fate might befall one in feral Australia.

— john anderson, WSJ, "‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ Review: No Walk in the Park," 24 May 2018
All the while, they were kept company by a stray, nearly feral, dog, who wandered over and ate anything the workmen left behind from their lunch.

— sheryl julian, BostonGlobe.com, "From ruin to castle in rural Spain (and you can eat like royalty, too)," 23 May 2018
In 2016, British outlets ran a story about a man in Blackpool who was concerned people would mistake his tanuki for a feral raccoon.

— elaina zachos, National Geographic, "Can People Really Mistake a Bear for a Dog, as This Family Claims?," 16 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'feral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of feral

Medieval Latin feralis, from Latin fera wild animal, from feminine of ferus wild — more at fierce

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1604

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

feral Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of feral

brutal, brutish, bestial, feral mean characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct. brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.