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wild

wild

142 2.8
An area of land that is natural and not changed by people
  • noun
  • /waɪld/
: naturaleza
  • The scientists had already removed some eggs and juveniles from the wild, beginning in 1983.
  • extinct in the wild
  • release into the wild
  • survive in the wild

Examples

  • You ask me, what an animal does in the wild is his own business.

  • And so he goes into the wild and lives in this school bus.

  • And so he goes into the wild and lives in this school bus.

  • I was finally going to go into the wild with my father.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Have you ever heard a fox in the wild, either of you?

  • Release them into the wild.

  • At least I saw the wild before it disappeared.

  • Do you know that grizzlies have been known to track their prey over 20 miles across the wild?

  • Before condors were removed from the wild, chicks stayed with their parents for several months until they fledged.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Many animals thrive in the wild, away from human interference.

Synonyms

wilderness
vswild
129 3.8

A natural area not changed by people and without people living there

is a general term for natural uncultivated areas
backcountry
vswild
  • US
19 6.2

A wild area far from towns and roads, like a mountain

does not require remoteness, only lack of human alteration
wildland
vswild
  • US
4 5.5

An area of land left in its natural state and not built on

is the simple natural land idea without legal protection
wildwood
vswild
  • Literature
6.2

A thick natural forest left alone by people

applies to any uncultivated natural area not only forests

Antonyms

571 2.5

About a city or town rather than the countryside

Land prepared by people for growing crops

Idioms

To have many short sexual relationships when young

1 8.2

To do risky, adventurous things outside your usual life

9.6

Behave carelessly and have many romantic adventures before settling down

9.4

Feeling very angry and upset

A saying that you should not expect a wild person or thing to behave calmly

Compounds

64 1.0

An animal that lives in nature and is not kept by people

22 3.4

A mammal like a dog that is not kept as a pet and lives in groups

wild-goose chase
  • Informal
22 6.6

A hopeless search for something that does not exist

18 2.7

A horse that lives in nature and is not tame

17 5.3

A time in the western United States when settlers moved in and there were few laws

wild man
  • Offensive
15 7.5

A person who lives apart from others and acts like an animal

15 3.6

An exciting, fast attraction at an amusement park like a roller coaster

9 3.4

A large wild pig that lives in forests and has long tusks

wild story
  • Informal
7 4.6

A very exciting tale that is often not true

wild pitch
  • Jargon
5 6.3

In baseball, a pitch the catcher cannot catch that lets a base runner advance

4 3.3

A long dark grain from water plants that people cook and eat

4 3.8

A playing card a player can use to represent any other card

4 5.0

A person or thing that is unpredictable and can change the result

3 7.6

Having a staring, wide-eyed look that shows fear or strong excitement

wild type
  • Specialized
2 4.8

The usual natural form of a species or gene

wild woman
  • Offensive
2 7.8

A woman who does not follow normal social rules and is often avoided by others

wild blue yonder
  • Literature
2 7.1

The open blue sky far above the ground

1 1.8

A small sweet red fruit that grows wild on a low plant

Wild West show
  • Archaic
1 6.3

A live show with cowboys riding horses, shooting, and showing life in the old West

1 2.0

A water bird like a mallard that lives in lakes and rivers and is not kept by people

1 3.0

A strong-smelling plant with broad leaves that grows in woods and people use in cooking

wild type
  • Specialized
1 5.5

Having the usual natural form of a gene or organism

1 4.6

A small apple tree that grows naturally with tart fruit

1 1.3

A flower that grows naturally without being planted by people

1 3.8

A wild plant like a small onion with edible bulbs and a strong smell

A traveling American show from the 1880s that showed horse riding, shooting and frontier life

A plant that grows naturally and makes small red or orange berries you can eat

1 6.1

A small plant with purple flowers that smells nice and is used in cooking

1 7.2

A plant with a thick underground root used in traditional medicine for joint pain or liver problems

1 7.4

A large wild animal like a donkey that lives on dry plains in Asia and northeast Africa

A small tree that grows in the wild and produces cherries

1 4.8

A tall plant with thin leaves and small white flowers often found in meadows

1 7.4

A rough plant with a large bulb and tall stalk that has greenish purple flowers

1 4.2

A weed with bright yellow flowers that grows in farm fields

1 9.9

A small plant with yellow hanging bell-shaped flowers that grows in woods

1 6.7

A grass like oats that grows in fields and is often a weed

1 8.5

A small tree with fragrant flowers and bitter, inedible fruit

A tall rough grass from North America with spiky flower heads that grows in open grassland

African wild ass
  • South African
7.2

A wild donkey from dry northeastern Africa that is the ancestor of the domestic donkey

Asian wild ox
  • Specialized
8.3

A large wild animal like a big cow that lives in Asian forests and grasslands

A shrub that grows in southern Arizona and Mexico and has seed pods with soft fibers like cotton

A wild onion plant with drooping white to pink flowers

A place where injured wild animals get care and recover safely

A wild grass with thin upright stems that often grows as a weed in fields

8.3

A vine that makes edible pods underground like peanuts

4.4

A climbing plant like the garden pea that grows in the wild

7.1

A plant that grows every year in dry parts of southwestern US and Mexico and has small tubers like potatoes

A tropical plant that grows along the ground or climbs and has a large root people eat

8.4

A climbing plant of dry areas that grows small hard green fruits people cannot eat

9.8

A strong herb with white flowers whose leaves people use to treat skin problems

6.1

A wild plant with pink or white flowers that grows in North America

A small tree or bush that grows naturally and has small plum fruits

3.5

A small tree or bush that grows naturally and makes plums

5.2

A small tart fruit from a tree or bush that grows naturally

6.1

A plant like a radish with yellow or pale purple flowers and long seed pods

7.9

A low bog bush from northern Europe and Asia with leaves that smell strong and pleasant, not the cooking herb

6.2

A long grass that grows naturally in fields and helps hold soil and feed animals

5.6

A wild-growing plant with blue flowers and strong-smelling leaves

A North American wild plant with sweet-smelling roots used for drinks and medicine

9.1

A wild plant like a cabbage with yellow or white flowers and long seed pods

9.2

A wild Mediterranean grass that is the original form of the grain grown for food

A North American plant whose fragrant roots flavor drinks

7.4

A North American plant with bright yellow flowers whose leaves people use as medicine

A caterpillar that lives in the wild and makes strong silk in a cocoon

A plant with bright yellow and orange flowers that grows wild and can be a weed

Green leaves that grow wild and people collect to eat

9.6

A plant that lives for many years with showy white parts that look like petals

A tropical plant whose small leaf parts close when touched

A European tree with lobed leaves and small brown spotted fruits you can eat

A sheep that lives in nature and is not kept by people

wild Shitmas party
  • Offensive
9.9

A loud, very noisy Christmas party with out of control behavior

7.5

A wild plant from South America and Mexico with leaves used for smoking and not usually grown for sale

8.9

A plant with leaves that smell like vanilla when crushed

How Wild

wilderness
129 3.8
wild
142 2.8
national park
43 1.5
park
∞ 1.0
garden
740 1.0

Surface Forms

wild singular
wilds plural

Etymology

Wild comes from an old English word meaning 'untamed' or 'of the woods', so the wild as a noun is the natural land that people have not changed.