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

Renshaw endured domestic cricket’s wilderness for nearly five years before a recall in early 2023. —Sam Dalling, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

Deep below the surface of some of the planet’s northernmost wilderness, the soil and rock has been frozen for millions of years. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025

Deer sometimes appear in the Hudson River School paintings as symbols of wilderness. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2025

Best Hotels & Resorts Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, set on 700 acres on the shore of Beauvert Lake, has elevated the wilderness experience in Jasper National Park for more than a century. —Lisa Kadane, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 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