Definition of wildernessnext
as in wild
that part of the physical world that is removed from human habitation released the wolf back into the wilderness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wilderness In Namibia’s remote, soul-stirring wilderness—one of the least inhabited places on earth—French hotelier Arnaud Zannier has created a new breed of hotel. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026 Count Dani Watt as the lone voice in the NFL wilderness questioning the league's wisdom about playing Sunday's game in France amid civil unrest that has rocked Paris and other parts of the country. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Lent, the period of spiritual preparation leading up to Easter, recalls his 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. — Shushan Karapetian, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026 In The Death of Robin Hood, Hugh Jackman plays the bandit of Nottingham, aged and retired to a hermit's life in the wilderness. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wilderness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wilderness
Noun
  • The result is a movie of dazzling conundrums and vertiginous paradoxes, leading Fielder ever deeper into emotional and intellectual wilds.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Remember, this is an old-school program operating in a wild-west, NIL, transfer-portal landscape.
    — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The arid landscape is creased with rugged mountain ranges, cleaved by scenic canyons and filled with vast stretches of open space interrupted by midsize cities and small towns that spring like oases from the desert floor.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Beginning around 1980, Judd replaced their garage doors with large spans of glass, opening the interiors to raking desert light.
    — Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • There is no evidence that foreign countries intentionally emptied prisons or mental institutions and sent people to the United States.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • State judges who take these cases look for proof that applicants cannot safely return to their home country, have been abused, abandoned or neglected by one or both parents, and that reunification with a parent is not possible.
    — Sasha Allen, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Here, any distinction between spa and safari collapses, and the outdoors and wellness weave together.
    — Adrienne Matei, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Smaller fractions of the money would be directed to the state’s Outdoor Equity Grant Program to help people access the outdoors and to the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office to help create new jobs in the industry.
    — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wilderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wilderness. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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