Wild — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun adverb /ˈwī(-ə)ld/

Meaning & Definition of Wild

Wild (adjective)

  1. living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated
  2. growing or produced without human aid or care
  3. related to or resembling a corresponding cultivated or domesticated organism

Wild (noun)

  1. a sparsely inhabited or uncultivated region or tract, wilderness
  2. a wild, free, or natural state or existence

Wild (adverb)

  1. in a wild manner
  2. without regulation or control
  3. off an intended or expected course

Wild (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans

    "wild animals can be shy or aggressive when confronted by humans"

    similar: feral, savage, unbroken, undomesticated, untamed, wilding
    related: uncontrolled, undocile, unsubdued, untrained, bestial, brutal, brute, barbarous, uncivilized
    opposite: broken, busted, domestic, domesticated, gentled, tame, tamed
    near: controlled, docile, familiar, semidomesticated, subdued, submissive, halterbroken, housebroken, trained, civilized, semicivilized, socialized

  2. existing without human habitation or cultivation

    "that land has been completely wild since the owners abandoned it"

    similar: natural, uncultivated, untamed, virgin
    related: native, uninhabited, unpeopled, unsettled, overgrown, spontaneous, untended, waste, undeveloped, desolate, forlorn, howling
    opposite: cultivated, tamed
    near: inhabited, developed, seminatural

  3. marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements

    "a wild night, full of wind and rain"

    similar: rough, rugged, stormy, tempestuous, tumultuous, turbulent
    related: blustering, blustery, raging, violent, brutal, harsh, severe, roily, unquiet, unsettled, bleak, inclement, nasty, raw, squally
    near: calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, tranquil, bright, clear, clement, cloudless, fair, sunny, sunshiny, unclouded

  4. conceived or made without regard for reason or reality

    "some wild claim that he was abducted by aliens"

    similar: absurd, bizarre, crazy, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane, nonsensical, preposterous, unreal, off the wall (slang)
    related: implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable, extravagant, grotesque, bizarro, curious, eccentric, far-out, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, screwy, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, Alice-in-Wonderland, Kafkaesque, nightmarish, dreamlike, surreal
    opposite: realistic, reasonable

  5. different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion

    "public speakers in the park typically spout some wild ideas"

    similar: bizarre, bizarro, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, off-kilter, off-the-wall, offbeat, out-of-the-way, outlandish, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum (chiefly British), screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, weirdo
    related: aberrant, abnormal, addlepated, flaky, extraordinary, fantastic, freak, freakish, freaky, phantasmagoric, phenomenal, atypical, rare, singular, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, unwonted, conspicuous, notable, noticeable, outstanding, prominent, salient, striking, atrocious, outrageous, shocking, crotchety, idiosyncratic, nonconformist, nonmainstream, out-there, unconventional, unorthodox, baffling, bewildering, confounding, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling
    near: average, commonplace, everyday, garden, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday, conformist, conservative, conventional, expected, familiar, knee-jerk, predictable, common, customary, frequent, habitual, regular, wonted

  6. marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity

    "the holidays were especially wild around here this year"

    similar: delirious, ferocious, feverish, fierce, frantic, frenetic, frenzied, furious, mad, rabid, violent
    related: concentrated, high-pressured, intense, intensive, vehement, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, inordinate, lavish, overmuch, overweening, unconscionable, undue, crazed (sometimes offensive), crazy (usually offensive), demented, deranged (often offensive), insane, irrational, maniacal
    opposite: relaxed
    near: calm, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, subdued, tranquil, undisturbed, unperturbed, untroubled, moderate, reasonable, temperate, casual, easygoing, low-pressure, balanced, sane, sound

  7. not civilized

    "ancient traces of a wild people who lived in mountain caves"

    similar: barbarian, barbaric, barbarous, heathen, heathenish, natural, Neanderthal, rude, savage, uncivil, uncivilized, uncultivated
    related: coarse, crude, primitive, rough, uncouth, uncultured
    opposite: civilized
    near: cultured, enlightened, humane, sophisticated, genteel, polished, polite, refined, urbane, well-bred, semicivilized

  8. showing urgent desire or interest

    "they're just wild to go on the ecotour through the Amazon rain forest"

    similar: agog, antsy, anxious, ardent, athirst, avid, bonkers (informal), crazy, desirous, eager, enthused, enthusiastic, excited, gaga, geeked (slang), great, greedy, gung ho, hepped up, hopped-up, hot, hungry, impatient, juiced, keen, nuts, pumped, raring, solicitous, stoked (slang), thirsty, voracious, champing at the bit, chomping at the bit
    related: engaged, interested, happy, hung up, obsessed, ambitious, appetent, covetous, craving, hankering, longing, pining, breathless, restive, restless, amenable, disposed, game, glad, inclined, ready, unreluctant, willing
    opposite: apathetic, indifferent, uneager, unenthusiastic
    near: casual, incurious, insouciant, nonchalant, unconcerned, uninterested, aloof, detached, disinterested, impassive, stolid, halfhearted, lackadaisical, languid, languorous, lukewarm, spiritless, averse, disinclined, hesitant, loath, reluctant, unwilling

Wild (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. in a confused and reckless manner

    "as soon as the doors opened, early-morning bargain hunters ran wild through the store"

    similar: amok, berserk, berserkly, frantically, frenetically, frenziedly, harum-scarum, hectically, helter-skelter, madly, pell-mell, wildly
    related: agitatedly, confusedly, crazily, desperately, feverishly, haywire, skittishly, uncontrollably, heedlessly, hotheadedly, recklessly, wantonly, chaotically, riotously, tumultuously, turbulently, aimlessly, haphazard, haphazardly, hit or miss, topsy-turvy
    near: calmly, collectedly, composedly, coolly, imperturbably, peacefully, placidly, self-composedly, self-possessedly, serenely, unconcernedly, meekly, mildly, passively, tamely, methodically, orderly, systematically

Wild (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. that part of the physical world that is removed from human habitation

    "some animals aren't meant to live outside of the wild"

    similar: nature, open, open air, out-of-doors, outdoors, wilderness
    related: backwoods, bush, country, frontier, hinterland, sticks, up-country, outside, without, badland, barren, desert, waste, wasteland

Related Entry: Wild and woolly (phrase)

Wild and woolly is a different word from Wild. The synonyms below are for wild and woolly, not for wild.

  1. being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way

    "The grandparents watched the wild and woolly twins run around in the back yard."

    similar: boisterous, hell-raising, knockabout, rambunctious, raucous, robustious, roisterous, rollicking, rowdy, rumbustious (chiefly British)
    related: callithumpian, carnival, carnivalesque, larrikin (chiefly Australian), raffish, rampageous, raucous, riotous, rowdyish, ruffianly, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent, violent, headstrong, intractable, obstreperous, recalcitrant, uncontrollable, uncontrolled, undisciplined, ungovernable, uninhibited, unmanageable, unreserved, unrestrained, unruly, wild, willful, bubbly, buoyant, effervescent, exuberant, high-spirited, impassioned, lively, sprightly, vivacious, clamorous, loudmouthed, noisy, open-mouthed, rackety, strident, vociferous, howling, screaming, yelling
    opposite: orderly
    near: sedate, sober, solemn, somber, staid, decorous, dignified, proper, seemly, calm, hushed, noiseless, peaceful, placid, quiet, restrained, serene, silent, soundless, tranquil, collected, composed, constrained, controlled, imperturbable, inhibited, repressed, self-controlled, unflappable, unruffled, moderate, reasonable, subdued, temperate, impassive, phlegmatic, stoic, stolid, depressed, aloof, detached, indifferent

Related Entry: Hog wild (adjective)

Hog wild is a different word from Wild. The synonyms below are for hog wild, not for wild.

  1. as in wild, uninhibited

    similar: barbaric, riotous, uninhibited, wild, uncontrollable, ungovernable, abandoned, intemperate, rampant, raw, runaway, unbounded, unbridled, unchecked, uncontrolled, unhampered, unhindered, unrestrained
    opposite: bridled, checked, constrained, controlled, curbed, governed, hampered, hindered, restrained, temperate, moderate, tempered

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Wild

The most common words with a similar meaning to Wild:

Slang: off the wall, geeked, stoked
Chiefly British: rum
Informal: bonkers
feral, savage, unbroken, undomesticated, untamed, wilding, natural, uncultivated, virgin, rough, rugged, stormy, tempestuous, tumultuous, turbulent, absurd, bizarre, crazy, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane, nonsensical, preposterous, unreal, bizarro, cranky, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, off-kilter, off-the-wall, offbeat, out-of-the-way

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Wild

Words with the opposite meaning of Wild:

broken, busted, domestic, domesticated, gentled, tame, tamed, cultivated, realistic, reasonable, relaxed, civilized, apathetic, indifferent, uneager, unenthusiastic

Related Words for Wild

uncontrolled, undocile, unsubdued, untrained, bestial, brutal, brute, native, uninhabited, unpeopled, unsettled, overgrown, spontaneous, untended, waste, undeveloped, desolate, forlorn, howling, blustering, blustery, raging, harsh, severe, roily, unquiet, bleak, inclement, nasty, raw

Near Antonyms of Wild

controlled, docile, familiar, semidomesticated, subdued, submissive, halterbroken, housebroken, trained, semicivilized, socialized, inhabited, developed, seminatural, calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, tranquil, bright, clear, clement, cloudless, fair, sunny, sunshiny, unclouded, average

Word Forms of Wild

Derived words: wildish (adjective), wildness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Wild

Middle English wilde, from Old English; akin to Old High German wildi wild, Welsh gwyllt

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Wild

Words & Phrases Containing Wild

wild bergamot, wild boar, wild card, wild carrot, wild celery, wild dog, wild-eyed

Frequently Asked Questions about Wild

What does "Wild" mean?

"Wild" means living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated. As an an adjective, a noun and an adverb, it is defined as: living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated. It has 10 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Wild"?

Other words for "Wild" include feral, savage, unbroken, undomesticated, untamed, wilding, natural and uncultivated. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Wild" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Wild"?

There are 299 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Wild". Common alternatives include feral, savage, unbroken, undomesticated, untamed, wilding, natural, uncultivated, virgin and rough.

What is a slang word for "Wild"?

Slang words for "Wild" include off the wall, geeked and stoked.

What is the opposite of "Wild"?

Antonyms of "Wild" include broken, busted, domestic, domesticated, gentled, tame, tamed and cultivated. Near antonyms include controlled, docile, familiar and semidomesticated.

How do you use "Wild" in a sentence?

Examples of "Wild" in a sentence: "wild animals can be shy or aggressive when confronted by humans"; "that land has been completely wild since the owners abandoned it"; "a wild night, full of wind and rain".

Is "Wild" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Wild" can be used as an adjective, a noun and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Wild" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Wild" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.