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wilderness

Pronunciation: /ˈwɪldənɪs/

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Definition of wilderness

noun

[usually in singular]
  • an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.
  • a neglected or abandoned area:the garden had become a wilderness of weeds and bushes
  • a position of disfavour, especially in a political context:the man who led the Labour Party out of the wilderness [as modifier]:his wilderness years

Phrases

a voice in the wilderness

an unheeded advocate of reform (see Matt. 3:3 etc.).

Origin:

Old English wildēornes 'land inhabited only by wild animals', from wild dēor 'wild deer' + -ness

wilderness in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of wilderness in the US English dictionary

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