wild

WYLD/waɪld/

26 meanings of wild

1
natural (not farmed)adjective
Living and growing in nature, not kept or raised by people.
Like a flower that grows by itself outside, not one planted in a pot.
Wild horses roam across the open plains.
We spotted a wild rabbit hiding in the tall grass.
UsageSay wild horses, or flowers grow wild.
Similaruntamed, undomesticated, feral
Oppositetame
2
adjective
Behaving freely, with no control holding it back.
Like a dog let off its leash, running everywhere with joy.
He lived a wild life before he settled down and had kids.
The kids ran wild in the backyard all afternoon.
UsageSay the kids ran wild.
Similarunrestrained, uninhibited, frenzied, crazy
Oppositerestrained, calm, controlled
3
crazy (surprising)adjectiveslang
Very surprising, strange, or amazing, as in that's wild.
Like hearing something so strange your jaw drops.
It's wild that they canceled the show with no warning.
The news was so wild that nobody believed it at first.
UsageSay it's wild that they did that.
Similarcrazy, insane, outrageous, unbelievable
Note
4
noununcountablewith the
The natural, free life of animals that live away from people and are not controlled by them.
Like a bird leaving its cage to live free outside.
The cubs were born in a zoo but were later released into the wild.
Many animals struggle to survive once they leave the wild.
UsageSay in the wild or into the wild.
Similarnature
Oppositecaptivity
Note
5
adjective
Loud, rough, and out of control.
Like a classroom with no teacher, loud and out of control.
They threw a wild party that lasted all night.
The old mining town had a wild, lawless reputation.
UsageSay a wild party.
Similarrowdy, unruly, riotous, boisterous, raucous
Oppositequiet, orderly, sedate, tame
Note
6
untouched naturenoununcountableplural
A large area of land left in its natural state, with no people or buildings.
Like a forest where no one has ever built a house.
Their cabin is deep in the wilds, far from any road.
We hiked far into the wild to set up camp.
UsageSay the wilds of Canada.
Similarwilderness, backcountry, bush
Note
7
adjective
Coming from or having to do with animals that live in nature.
Like milk from a farm cow, but instead from animals living free.
We bought wild honey from a stall at the farmers' market.
This restaurant serves wild game, such as deer and duck.
Oppositedomestic
8
way offadjective
Very far from being correct or on target.
Like throwing a ball with your eyes closed and missing by a lot.
His wild throw sailed right over the fence.
Her wild shot flew high over the goal and into the crowd.
UsageSay a wild throw.
Similarinaccurate, errant, erratic
Oppositeaccurate, precise
9
stand-inadjective
Able to take the place of any other card, letter, or value.
Like a key that can open any lock.
In this game, the joker is wild and can be any card.
We agreed that twos are wild for this round.
UsageSay twos are wild.
Note
10
adjective
Of land, scenery, or a river: still natural and not built on, with few or no people living there.
We hiked for days through wild country without seeing a single house.
The river is still wild, with no dams or towns along it.
UsageSay wild country.
Similarunspoiled, untamed, pristine
Oppositedeveloped, cultivated
Note
11
adjective
Very excited and full of liking for something.
Like how you feel about your favorite treat: you can't get enough of it.
He is wild about soccer and plays every single day.
The kids were wild about the new playground.
UsageSay wild about soccer. Not wild about means you don't like it much.
Similarcrazy, mad, passionate, enthusiastic
Oppositeindifferent, apathetic
12
messyadjective
Messy and tangled, not neat.
Like a bird's nest, all messy and tangled.
The dog had wild, messy fur after rolling in the mud.
He woke up with his hair sticking up, all wild and tangled.
Similarunkempt, untidy, tangled, messy, disheveled
Oppositeneat, tidy, groomed

Less common meanings

13
adjective
Of a guess or claim: made carelessly, without much proof or thought behind it.
I didn't know the answer, so I made a wild guess.
Please stop making wild claims about your neighbors.
UsageSay a wild guess.
Similarunfounded, baseless, groundless, reckless
Oppositereasoned, considered, educated
Note
14
adjective
Of weather, wind, or the sea: very stormy and rough.
It was a wild night, and the wind blew down two trees.
The sea was too wild for the boats to go out.
UsageSay a wild night.
Similarstormy, rough, violent, turbulent
Oppositecalm
15
franticadjective
Looking very worried and unable to stay calm.
Like someone pacing back and forth, unable to calm down.
She was wild with worry when her son didn't come home.
The lost child looked wild and frightened.
UsageSay wild with worry.
Similarfrantic, frenzied, distraught, hysterical
Oppositecalm, composed
Note
16
furiousadjective
Feeling very angry.
Like a kettle boiling over with anger.
Dad was wild when he saw the broken window.
She was wild with anger when she found out they had lied to her.
UsageSay wild with anger.
Similarfurious, livid, enraged, irate, mad
Oppositecalm
17
adverb
In a way that misses the target or goes off course.
Like throwing a ball with your eyes closed and missing.
His throw went wild and missed the basket completely.
The arrow flew wild into the bushes beside the field.
UsageSay the throw went wild.
Similarwide, astray
18
verbslangintransitive
To act in a strange or surprising way that catches people off guard.
Like a kid bouncing off the walls when no one expects it.
He was wilding at the party, dancing on tables and shouting.
Stop wilding and sit down for a minute.
UsageSay they're wildin'.
19
exposedadjective
Open to the wind and sea, with nothing to give shelter.
Like standing on a hilltop with no wall to block the wind.
The wild coast offered no place to hide from the storm.
Sailors feared the wild headland where the wind never let up.
Similarexposed, windswept, bleak, desolate
Oppositesheltered, protected
20
gang rampageverbslangintransitive
To roam a city in a gang, randomly attacking, robbing, and assaulting people.
Similarrampage, riot, maraud
Note
21
nounarchaic
Another spelling of weald: a forest, woods, or open land. This spelling is very old and no longer used.
Note
22
adjective
Of sound for a film or video: recorded on its own, to be matched to the pictures later.
23
adverb
Of sound for a film or video: separately from the pictures, so it can be matched to them later.
24
adjective
Of electric power: with a frequency that is not controlled and keeps changing.
25
adjective
Of a boat or ship: difficult to keep on course.
26
adjective
Of a knot in math: impossible to form as a closed loop made of a limited number of straight pieces.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of wild apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English "wilde," going back through old Germanic words. It is related to Dutch "wild" and German "wild."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English wild derives from Old English wilde through earlier Germanic forms. en.wiktionary.org
English wild is related to Dutch wild and German wild. en.wiktionary.org