1
as in wild
living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans
animal experts discourage homeowners from trying to adopt feral animals as pets
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
a novel that reveals just how thin the veneer of civilization is and how feral we are at bottom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in animal
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of feral
Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Beyond the feral obsession with Jacob Elordi–earring, tooth, tongue, and back included–the lasting impact of Wuthering Heights will most likely be in the style sphere.
—Alice Cary, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2026
Annie, whose time alone in the Jungle Room has left her paranoid, if not wholly feral, initially hides from this all-male crew.
—Judy Berman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
State Highway 130 has a stretch with a speed limit of eighty-five miles an hour, the highest in the country; the night the road opened, three cars crashed into feral hogs.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feral
Adjective
Most everyone in attendance at 2220 seemed to be there to meet or support one of their favorite artists, one of the devout purists of our time who manages to remain that without getting smug, lazy or feral, all common pitfalls.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Beyond the feral obsession with Jacob Elordi–earring, tooth, tongue, and back included–the lasting impact of Wuthering Heights will most likely be in the style sphere.
—Alice Cary, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2026
Annie, whose time alone in the Jungle Room has left her paranoid, if not wholly feral, initially hides from this all-male crew.
—Judy Berman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
State Highway 130 has a stretch with a speed limit of eighty-five miles an hour, the highest in the country; the night the road opened, three cars crashed into feral hogs.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
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Guests can trek with the chef into neighboring farmland to forage alongside the Hmong hill tribe for wild herbs such as mint, butterfly pea flowers, mushrooms, and acacia leaves.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
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Mikey Anderson posted a goal and an assist, Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore also scored, and Quinton Byfield had two assists for the Kings (28-24-15), who went 3-1-1 on their five-game trip and moved into a tie with the Seattle Kraken for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As the team explains, their solution isn’t about brute-force simulating everything, but rather focusing on what actually matters.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
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What’s needed are memory systems that are smart, fast, and compact — architectures that can scale alongside model growth without requiring brute-force resource consumption.—
Sha Rabii,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These stones suggest the dinosaur was an opportunistic omnivore, snacking on everything from prehistoric ferns to crunchy insects and small animals.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
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That may well drive new interest in reptiles and exotic animals, particularly as Repticon returns to Aurora, Saturday, March 21-Sunday, March 22.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This experience prioritizes the animals’ wellbeing by focusing on increasing the population, collecting data, and working with experts who have success in re-wilding.—
Jack Tydeman,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Auer, as Betty, offers a fleet, brutal portrait of a mother moving through grief, weepily passing from denial to acceptance.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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That’s more than a third of the opening games breaking in favor of the lower-seeded team — a brutal stretch for anyone trying to build a flawless bracket.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Abby’s Magical Beasties, where one of the beasties goes missing, and Abby must problem-solve.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
3 Nov. 2025
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In a horrific twist, Kasumi (Kana Hanazawa) wakes up way too early — and thus has to battle the ferocious beasties to survive.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
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Conan O'Brien hit almost every note on Sunday — savage, playful, heartfelt and dumb.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Buc-ee's is arguing that the animalistic logo is too similar to the buck-toothed beaver donning a red baseball cap inside of a bright yellow circle.—
Faith Bugenhagen,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Feb. 2026
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Buc-ee's argues, in court documents, that the animalistic logo is too similar to its own – a toothy beaver wearing a red ballcap inside a bright yellow circle.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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