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wild

Syllabification: (wild)
Pronunciation: /wīld/
Translate wild | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of wild

adjective

  • 1(of an animal or plant) living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated.
  • (of people) not civilized; barbarous:the wild tribes from the north
  • (of scenery or a region) desolate-looking:the wild coastline of Cape Wrath
  • 2uncontrolled or unrestrained, especially in pursuit of pleasure:she went through a wild phase of drunken parties and desperate affairs
  • not based on sound reasoning or probability:a wild guess who, even in their wildest dreams, could have anticipated such a victory?
  • stormy:the wild sea
  • informal very enthusiastic or excited:I’m not wild about the music
  • informal very angry.
  • (of looks, appearance, etc.) indicating distraction:her wild eyes were darting back and forth
  • (of a playing card) deemed to have any value, suit, color, or other property in a game at the discretion of the player holding it. See also wild card.

noun

(the wild)
  • a natural state or uncultivated or uninhabited region:kiwis are virtually extinct in the wild
  • (the wilds) a remote uninhabited or sparsely inhabited area:he spent a year in the wilds of Canada

Phrases

run wild

(of an animal, plant, or person) grow or develop without restraint or discipline:these horses have been running wild since they were born figurativeher imagination had run wild

wild and woolly

uncouth in appearance or behavior.

Derivatives

wildish

adjective

wildly

adverb

wildness

noun

Origin:

Old English wilde, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German wild

wild in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of wild in the British & World English dictionary
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