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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of feral
ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Last week, the friction spiked in Miami-Dade when Regalado introduced legislation to create a $100 fine for people feeding feral cats, dogs and peacocks on public or commercial property.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Next went Marshall Allen, hands on his sax like feral scrabbling mice.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
For a $15 donation, ARL will name a feral cat after your ex, spay or neuter it, and release it through its trap-neuter-return program.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feral
Adjective
More than 1,300 chickens were caught through the program last year, said Honolulu Department of Customer Services spokesperson Harold Nedd, who added the department also saw a 51% increase in complaints about feral chickens in 2025.
—ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026
Last week, the friction spiked in Miami-Dade when Regalado introduced legislation to create a $100 fine for people feeding feral cats, dogs and peacocks on public or commercial property.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2026
Next went Marshall Allen, hands on his sax like feral scrabbling mice.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
For a $15 donation, ARL will name a feral cat after your ex, spay or neuter it, and release it through its trap-neuter-return program.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
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Bozeman started 33 of 34 regular-season games plus two AFC wild-card playoff games during his tenure with the Chargers.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
24 Feb. 2026
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The temperature also drops, wild animals transition to their nocturnal routines and stillness fills the air.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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To our clients, a sweep is a show of brute force, rather than an invitation to come inside.—
Deborah Berkman,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Eventually, the fighting commenced with a flurry of slapping, pushing, and grasping; sumo can look like brawling or ballet, a display of brute force or a mastery of martial-arts techniques that share their origins with judo and aikido.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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He was also ordered to serve 12 months of probation and 20 days of community labor, and to complete a 24-session animal cruelty counseling program, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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That’s according to research published on February 25 in , which found that caterpillars can keep a beat called double meter that has so far been identified only in a couple of primates, says co-author Chiara De Gregorio, who studies animal behavior at the University of Warwick in England.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
25 Feb. 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
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Two boys, ages 12 and 13, were charged by a grand jury this week as adults in the brutal rape of a 12-year-old girl in the garden area of a Miami apartment complex over the summer.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and SZA have all condemned the use of their music in propaganda videos tied to the government’s brutal immigration crackdown.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 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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Watching Marcia Gay Harden embark on a savage killing spree was not on my cinematic bingo card for 2026.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
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Wade Wilson confessed to the savage murders of two women, yet even that brutality failed to repel admirers.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The characters live in a world of mud, rain, wind, and animalistic yearning, reflecting the bugs and birds and rabbits and dogs and livestock that surround them.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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