wild

adjective \ ˈwī(-ə)ld \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: wild in a Sentence

Definition of wild

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 eyes
—Irish Digest

4 : uncivilized, barbaric

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 spelling
—C. 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

play \ˈwī(-ə)l-dish\ adjective

—

wildness

play \ˈwī(-ə)ld-nəs\ noun

See wild defined for English-language learners

See wild defined for kids

Examples of wild in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of wild from the Web

The only truly wild flock migrates between Texas and Alberta, Canada, and makes up about two-thirds of all birds in the wild.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Birth of 5 chicks signals comeback for Louisiana’s whooping crane," 13 July 2018
The only truly wild flock migrates between Texas and Alberta, Canada, and makes up about two-thirds of all birds in the wild.

— Washington Post, "Louisiana’s whooping crane comeback: 5 chicks this year," 13 July 2018
The film is wild and raucous and bloody and fun, just like the riding was then.

— heather hansman, Outside Online, "The Newest Adventure Movies You Can Watch Right Now," 12 July 2018
This, for much of a wild and rugged evening at Luzhniki Stadium, looked like the time.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Croatia tops England in extra time to reach World Cup final," 11 July 2018
The whole ride has been wild and touching, Gaudynski said.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Here’s how two 'ordinary' Milwaukee-area men created a unique, dual-wheeled bicycle. The next challenge? Trying to sell them.," 11 July 2018
Analysis of other rhinoceros species, both in Africa and Asia, points to a viable population in the wild needing to be at least 500 strong.

— The Economist, "IVF may bring northern white rhinos back from the brink of extinction," 4 July 2018
And Type 2 polio has been completely eradicated in the wild since 1999.

— julia belluz, Vox, "A vaccine we don’t even use anymore is a reason polio keeps spreading — yes, really," 4 July 2018
The Lake Eola fireworks show was a display of Orlando’s diverse, weird, wild and patriotic, as nearly 100,000 came to watch rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air.

— kyle arnold, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Fireworks dazzle as Orlando comes together to celebrate Independence Day," 4 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of wild

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

wild Synonyms

Phrases

champing at the bit, chomping at the bit;

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

wild

noun

Definition of wild

1 : a sparsely inhabited or uncultivated region or tract : wilderness

2 : a wild, free, or natural state or existence

See wild defined for English-language learners

Examples of wild in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of wild from the Web

Sixty-four adult birds and five chicks live in the wild in Louisiana.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Birth of 5 chicks signals comeback for Louisiana’s whooping crane," 13 July 2018
Sixty-four adult birds and five chicks live in the wild in Louisiana.

— Washington Post, "Louisiana’s whooping crane comeback: 5 chicks this year," 13 July 2018
Only 100,000 giraffes remain in the wild, the zoo said.

— patrick danner, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio Zoo’s efforts to ‘adopt’ Toys R Us mascot might be a stretch," 13 July 2018
Now, with less than 20 vaquita left in the wild, the prospect of the species’ extinction within two years has prompted a last-ditch effort with significant economic and political consequences for the United States and Mexico.

— louis sahagun, latimes.com, "To save the world's rarest marine mammal, conservationists seek ban on Mexican seafood imports," 11 July 2018
Hogweed’s story is like that of most of America’s other invasive plants; an escape from a garden into the wild, where its prolific seeding bullies out endemic species.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "This Giant Invasive Flower Can Give You Third-Degree Burns," 3 July 2018
By then, poliovirus type 2 had been eradicated in the wild, which meant that every type 2 virus originated from the vaccine itself.

— leslie roberts, Science | AAAS, "Alarming polio outbreak spreads in Congo, threatening global eradication efforts," 2 July 2018
The giraffe in the photo is, indeed, of a South African species that is not rare but is actually increasing in the wild, Julian Fennessy, co-founder of the organization Giraffe Conservation Foundation, told Yahoo Lifestyle.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Hunter defends killing 'rare' black giraffe, says it was too old to breed," 2 July 2018
Some corners of the men’s fashion Internet, the ones that track the new Yeezy release in the wild, took note of Davidson years ago.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "Pete Davidson and the Rise of the Scumbro," 29 June 2018

First Known Use of wild

13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

wild Synonyms

Synonyms

nature, open, open air, out-of-doors, outdoors, wilderness;

outside, without;

badland, barren, desert, waste, wasteland;

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

wild

adverb

Definition of wild

: in a wild manner: such as

a : without regulation or control

plants that grow wild

b : off an intended or expected course

See wild defined for English-language learners

Examples of wild in a Sentence

These plants grow wild on the roadside.
as soon as the doors opened, early-morning bargain hunters ran wild through the store

Recent Examples of wild from the Web

When del Potro stood up and raised his arms in the air, the crowd went wild.

— tom perrotta, WSJ, "Kevin Anderson Upsets Roger Federer at Wimbledon," 11 July 2018
After the win, fans went wild all over Paris, and many congregated on the famous Champs-Elysees with plenty of flags and chants.

— charlotte carroll, SI.com, "Watch: Fans Go Wild in Paris to Celebrate France Advancing to World Cup Final," 10 July 2018
And the library goes wild: There's more to do than just read at the St. Francis Public Library, 4230 S. Nicholson Ave.

— hannah kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 Things-to-do this week in the southern suburbs," 9 July 2018
By the end, in one of the video’s best shots, she and the dancers are going wild in the Louvre basement, and topless men are jumping for joy in front of the sphinx.

— jason farago, New York Times, "At the Louvre, Beyoncé and Jay-Z Are Both Outsiders and Heirs," 17 June 2018
Almost as soon as the news that Jud Buechler had resigned as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers to accept the same position with the New York Knicks leaked out onto the Internet, his cell phone went wild.

— terry monahan, Pomerado News, "Poway High alum joining Knicks as assistant coach," 21 June 2018
Playing on the road Wednesday afternoon against Downey in a CIF Southern Section Division III wild-card game, the Indians scored a run in the top of the first inning to stake themselves to an early lead.

— jeff tully, latimes.com, "Burroughs baseball out hits Downey, but is plagued by errors in playoff loss," 17 May 2018
The crowd goes wild. ************ A few weeks later, back at home, Roy Cooper is hanging out in the den at his ranch, watching football and sipping on a Fireball mini.

— melissa lyttle, Smithsonian, "The First Family of Rodeo," 13 Dec. 2017
Bring them to a party or serve them at your own and watch the crowd go wild.

— audrey bruno, SELF, "17 Meatless Recipes That Are Perfect for Grilling Season," 15 May 2018

First Known Use of wild

circa 1562

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

wild Synonyms

Synonyms

amok (or amuck), berserk, berserkly, frantically, frenetically, frenziedly, harum-scarum, hectically, helter-skelter, madly, pell-mell, wildly;

Near Antonyms

calmly, collectedly, composedly, coolly (also cooly), imperturbably, peacefully, placidly, self-composedly, self-possessedly, serenely, unconcernedly;

meekly, mildly, passively, tamely;

methodically, orderly, systematically;

heedlessly, hotheadedly, recklessly, wantonly;

chaotically, riotously, tumultuously, turbulently;

aimlessly, haphazard, haphazardly, hit-or-miss, topsy-turvy;

WILD Defined for English Language Learners

wild

adjective

Definition of wild for English Language Learners

of an animal : living in nature without human control or care : not tame
of a plant : growing or produced in nature : not grown or farmed by people
of land : not changed by people : not settled or developed

wild

noun

Definition of wild for English Language Learners

the wilds : a large area of land where people do not live and where plants, trees, etc., grow freely
the wild : a wild, free, or natural place, state, or existence

wild

adverb

Definition of wild for English Language Learners

: without being controlled

WILD Defined for Kids

wild

adjective \ ˈwīld \

Definition of wild for Students

wilder; wildest

1 : living in a state of nature and not under human control and care : not tame

wild animals

2 : growing or produced in nature : not cultivated by people

wild honey

wild grapes

3 : not civilized : savage They sought out wild places in the mountains.

4 : not kept under control : not restrained

wild rage

a wild party

5 : made without knowledge

a wild guess

6 : done without accuracy

a wild throw

7 : going beyond what is usual

wild colors

8 : enthusiastic

wild applause

—

wildly

adverb

—

wildness

noun

wild

noun

Definition of wild for Students

: wilderness

Learn More about wild

See words that rhyme with wild Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wild Spanish Central: Translation of wild Nglish: Translation of wild for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wild for Arabic speakers

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wild

Definition of wild

wildish

wildness

Examples of wild in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wild from the Web

Origin and Etymology of wild

wild Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Other Ecology Terms

wild

Definition of wild

Examples of wild in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wild from the Web

First Known Use of wild

wild Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Ecology Terms

wild

Definition of wild

Examples of wild in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wild from the Web

First Known Use of wild

wild Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

WILD Defined for English Language Learners

wild

Definition of wild for English Language Learners

wild

Definition of wild for English Language Learners

wild

Definition of wild for English Language Learners

WILD Defined for Kids

wild

Definition of wild for Students

wildly

wildness

wild

Definition of wild for Students

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