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wild

wild

430 1.0
Living in a natural state and not tamed by people
  • adjective
  • /waɪld/
: salvaje
  • This is Carly feeding wild deer on her property.
  • wild animals
  • wild birds
  • wild populations

There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.

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Examples

  • Wild ponies play near my house.

  • We're dealing with a wild animal.

  • Let the animals run wild!

  • I've just left them to grow wild for the past two months.

  • Twelve aeroplanes in perfect formation, like a flight of wild ducks, came overhead.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Today we are just two wild elk... on the frozen tundra.

  • A teal is a small, wild freshwater fowl.

  • He's a wild animal.

  • Typical animals hunted by Lucy would have been wild horses, woolly mammoths, reindeer, and rhinos.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The wildlife photographer waited patiently to capture the moment when a wild fox appeared near the clearing.

Synonyms

feral
vswild
22 6.7

An animal that lives wild after escaping people and is often dangerous

is used for any living thing or place existing naturally, not only escaped animals
untamed
vswild
15 3.8

In a natural state that people do not tame, like wild animals or places

also applies to remote places and people beyond human influence

Antonyms

domesticated
  • Specialized
13 3.1

Kept or grown by people for food, work and company

9 1.0

Not wild because people keep or breed it

Idioms

8 8.2

To do risky, adventurous things outside your usual life

4 9.6

Behave carelessly and have many romantic adventures before settling down

To have many short sexual relationships when young

9.4

Feeling very angry and upset

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

Compounds

83 1.0

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

46 5.3

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

44 5.0

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

wild-goose chase
  • Informal
27 6.6

A hopeless search for something that does not exist

26 2.7

A horse that lives in nature and is not tame

wild man
  • Offensive
25 7.5

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

24 3.6

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

24 3.4

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

12 3.4

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

11 7.6

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

9 3.8

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

wild woman
  • Offensive
9 7.8

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

wild story
  • Informal
7 4.6

A very exciting tale that is often not true

wild pitch
  • Jargon
7 6.3

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

5 1.3

A flower that grows naturally without being planted by people

5 3.3

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

Wild West show
  • Archaic
3 6.3

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

wild blue yonder
  • Literature
3 7.1

The open blue sky far above the ground

2 1.8

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

2 2.0

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

wild type
  • Specialized
2 4.8

The usual natural form of a species or gene

2 3.0

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

2 3.4

A very strong wind that blows hard

wild type
  • Specialized
2 5.5

Having the usual natural form of a gene or organism

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 4.0

A small tree that grows naturally and the small tart fruit it makes

1 1.8

A goat that lives in the wild and is not kept by people

1 4.6

A small apple tree that grows naturally with tart fruit

1 3.8

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

1 6.1

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

wild olive
  • Indian
1 8.9

A shrub or climbing plant with small red fruits like olives

1 7.2

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

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

1 7.4

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

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

1 7.1

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

1 4.8

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

1 4.4

A sudden powerful change that makes many people excited

1 6.0

A plant with crunchy stalks and strong-smelling leaves used in cooking

1 4.6

A large wild animal like a cow that lives in forests or grasslands

wild atmosphere
  • Informal
1 4.1

A loud, exciting scene where people act without control

1 8.8

A rough leafy plant with purple or red flowers and small red berries

wild antics
  • Informal
1 4.2

Silly, surprising actions that make people laugh

1 8.5

A small tree with fragrant flowers and bitter, inedible fruit

1 5.2

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

1 7.4

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

A small tree that grows in the wild and produces cherries

1 3.5

A small tree or bush that grows naturally and makes plums

1 3.9

Green leaves that grow wild and people collect to eat

1 4.2

A weed with bright yellow flowers that grows in farm fields

1 2.5

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

1 8.7

An edible root that looks like a nut and was an important food for some Native American people

1 5.6

A hairstyle that is messy, untidy, or very unusual

1 6.9

A tropical tree that grows in warm places and has small sweet fruit

1 7.5

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

1 5.6

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

1 6.2

A plant that grows naturally without farming and is the ancestor of wheat grown on farms

1 5.0

A low plant with spicy heart-shaped leaves used as food and medicine

1 7.4

A small apple tree from Europe that is a main ancestor of the apples we grow

wild mango
  • South African
1 6.7

A tree from Africa with yellow fruit, oily seeds, and hard wood that resists termites

1 9.5

A wild type of wheat that is the ancestor of farm wheat

1 7.5

A North American plant with purple or pink flowers used for tea and in gardens

1 5.4

A small wild flower with divided leaves and purple flowers that grows in woods and meadows

1 4.4

A low bush that stays green all year and has small white flowers and red berries

1 9.4

A low bush with spreading branches and small flowers that grows in western United States deserts

1 6.2

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

1 6.9

A wild bush with white soft fibers around its seeds used to make cloth

wild peach
  • South African
1 7.7

A large evergreen shrub with many branches grown for its dense green leaves

1 7.3

A North American plant with blue, white, or yellow flowers that grows in prairies and open woods

1 8.2

A plant that grows in eastern North America with leaves like a hand and groups of blue flowers

1 2.6

A wild leafy plant that is the ancestor of garden vegetables like kale or broccoli

1 7.9

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

How Wild

untamed
15 3.8
feral
2 5.7
wild
430 1.0
tame
11 3.4
domesticated
  • Specialized
13 3.1

Surface Forms

wild positive

Etymology

Wild originally meant 'not tamed' or 'living in nature', so when we call animals or plants 'wild' we mean they live naturally and are not kept by people.