wilderness

noun

wil·​der·​ness ˈwil-dər-nəs 

1

a(1)

: a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings

(2)

: an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community

b

: an empty or pathless area or region

in remote wildernesses of space groups of nebulae are found

—G. W. Gray †1960

c

: a part of a garden devoted to wild growth

2

obsolete : wild or uncultivated state

3

a

: a confusing multitude or mass : an indefinitely great number or quantity

I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys

—William Shakespeare

b

: a bewildering situation

those moral wildernesses of civilized life

—Norman Mailer

Synonyms

• wild
• desert
• country
• outdoors

Examples of wilderness in a Sentence

She enjoys hikes through the wilderness.

released the wolf back into the wilderness

Recent Examples on the Web

In total, the Holdfast funds helped protect 162,710 acres of wilderness around the world in its first year of operation. —David Gelles, Time, 9 Sep. 2025

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the government department revealed how the children were doing following years of hiding in the wilderness. —Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025

The Dedinis didn’t know where to go to find frogs or how to distinguish the croaks of legal species against the nighttime wilderness orchestra. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025

The Great Work is about a grizzled alchemist and his nephew tracking a strange creature through the Washington wilderness near the end of the nineteenth century. —Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from wildern wild, from Old English wilddēoren of wild beasts

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing wilderness

• wilderness area

Kids Definition

wilderness

noun

wil·​der·​ness ˈwil-dər-nəs 

: an area in which few people live that is not used for farming and is more or less in its natural state