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Glite Dictionary
🐾 Wild, not tame 🐾 A wild animal
feral

feral

2 5.7
An animal that once lived with people but now lives wild
  • noun
  • /ˈfɛrəl/
: animal asilvestrado
  • Neighborhood Cats is launching the Hurricane Sandy Feral Cat Relief Fund for NYC caretakers who need financial assistance to care for the colonies.
  • a feral cat
  • feral hogs
  • feral goats

Examples

  • So domesticated cats and feral cats are both cats.

  • Rain fills red solo bowls for feral cats in the yard.

  • EHBs that escaped from domestication are considered feral rather than wild.

    Academic text (2004)

  • We peer into cages containing indigenous animals such as the Sinai Fox and the Feral Cat, amid the yapping of wolves and the cry of eagles.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The shelter is working hard to find homes for the many feral cats in the area.

  • Feral feral dogs often band together in packs for safety and food.

  • Feeding feral animals can help them survive, but it is important to not overly rely on humans for food.

Synonyms

wildling
vsferal
1 8.6

An animal that lives in the wild after living with people

refers only to animals now wild that were formerly domesticated or kept in captivity

Compounds

feral woman
1 9.9

A woman who lives away from other people and lacks usual social skills

feral man
1 9.9

A man who has lived without contact with other people since childhood

feral person
9.9

A person who grows up alone in the wild and does not learn normal human behavior

How Wild

wild animal
83 1.0
feral
2 5.7
stray
34 2.5
pet
759 1.0

Surface Forms

feral singular
ferals plural

Etymology

The word feral used as a noun comes from the Latin ferus, which means 'wild' and is the same root as ferocious. So a 'feral' is an animal that once lived with people but now lives in the wild.