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

Will the teens finally put the wilderness in their rearview? —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025

As the Yellowjackets get one step closer to being rescued, Samantha Hanratty is not quite ready to leave the wilderness. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025

The non-human residents of the Tasmanian wilderness play an important role in the show too, and not just as a reluctant meal. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025

Yellowjackets tells the tale of a girls’ high school soccer team in the 1990s that survived a plane crash and then had to live out in the wilderness. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 10 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