wilderness

noun

wil·​der·​ness ˈwil-dər-nəs How to pronounce wilderness (audio)
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 foundG. 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 monkeysWilliam Shakespeare
b
: a bewildering situation
those moral wildernesses of civilized lifeNorman Mailer

Examples of wilderness in a Sentence

She enjoys hikes through the wilderness. released the wolf back into the wilderness
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In their walk through the wilderness, Democrats will need to consider how to build a broader coalition that can defeat the cynical populism of Trump and his successors. Jamil Zaki, TIME, 23 Nov. 2024 Collectively our testers have more than 11 decades of experience in the wilderness. Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2024 Seasonal fruits anywhere and the walnuts at Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing. Pick a room view: beach, city or wilderness? Hyde Park or Central Park. Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 Democrats will certainly have plenty of time in the wilderness over the next two years to think about how to avoid putting themselves in this position again. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wilderness 

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)

Time Traveler
The first known use of wilderness was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near wilderness

Cite this Entry

“Wilderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilderness. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

wilderness

noun
wil·​der·​ness ˈwil-dər-nəs How to pronounce wilderness (audio)
: an area in which few people live that is not used for farming and is more or less in its natural state

More from Merriam-Webster on wilderness

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