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

The Wild West era of cannabis in Illinois may be coming to an end. — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2026

Nancy was an actress best known for her TV roles in the 1960s, including Athena on The Beverly Hillbillies and Tersa on The Wild Wild West. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026

The leader will also get to establish norms of behavior on the moon, which at the moment is a bit of a Wild West of exploration. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2026

The Ohio native also wrote for My Favorite Martian, My Three Sons, My Mother the Car, I Spy, The Wild Wild West, Julia, The Bob Newhart Show, Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026

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