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

Yes, Musk was part of that wave of Silicon Valley pioneers who liked to move fast and break stuff, using the momentum of the internet’s Wild West era to springboard into the 21st century and maybe make a few 10-figure deals along the way. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2026

Bundles of them would roll across the ground like tumbleweeds blowing in the wind of the Wild West. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

His love of trains and his love of the Wild West inspired him to champion the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland, which opened in 1960. — Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026

Homebuyers tend to put more money down than in the Wild West mortgage market of the early 2000s, possibly reducing risk of foreclosure. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 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