1
as in feral
living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans
wild animals can be shy or aggressive when confronted by humans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uninhabited
existing without human habitation or cultivation
that land has been completely wild since the owners abandoned it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in turbulent
marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements
a wild night, full of wind and rain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bizarre
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
some wild claim that he was abducted by aliens
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in strange
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion
public speakers in the park typically spout some wild ideas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in frantic
marked by great and often stressful excitement or activity
the holidays were especially wild around here this year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in barbarian
not civilized
ancient traces of a wild people who lived in mountain caves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in excited
showing urgent desire or interest
they're just wild to go on the ecotour through the Amazon rain forest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wildly
in a confused and reckless manner
as soon as the doors opened, early-morning bargain hunters ran wild through the store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wilderness
that part of the physical world that is removed from human habitation
some animals aren't meant to live outside of the wild
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wild
Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2025
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl called out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on social media after the Iranian supreme leader made some wild claims.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2022
Five treatment rooms house regionally inspired treatments and products which feature natural, bloom-to-bottle ingredients, some of which have been grown or wild-harvested on-site.
—Yola Robert, Forbes, 26 May 2022
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025
And buyers will need to dip heavily into that options offering to really build up a camper that's ready to make the push into untamed wilds with critical amenities like off-grid electricity and all-season climate control on board.
—New Atlas, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild
Adjective
In a wild twist, Mason, who ran the point for KU’s alumni team last July, has switched squads and will play for Boeheim’s Army, a collection of former Syracuse players.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2025
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl called out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on social media after the Iranian supreme leader made some wild claims.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
Adverb
Even their currently available salmon was wild-caught off central California.
—Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2022
Five treatment rooms house regionally inspired treatments and products which feature natural, bloom-to-bottle ingredients, some of which have been grown or wild-harvested on-site.
—Yola Robert, Forbes, 26 May 2022
Noun
In the Mongolian wilds, a hunter’s heir, With his father, a bond so rare.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 June 2025
And buyers will need to dip heavily into that options offering to really build up a camper that's ready to make the push into untamed wilds with critical amenities like off-grid electricity and all-season climate control on board.
—New Atlas, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wild
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wild
Adjective
-
Access has never been restricted to the feral cats.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
11 July 2025
-
Meanwhile, feral cats decimated native bird populations and preyed heavily on the Socorro blue lizard.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
The East Asian neighbors have two ongoing disputes in the East China Sea: one over the sovereignty of the uninhabited Senkaku island group—administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing as the Diaoyu Islands—and the other over energy exploration in the region.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
-
Consequently, all the oases in his model were considered uninhabited.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
At the tight end position, a turbulent year around him in 2024 didn’t allow for any consistency for Jake Ferguson, especially when factoring in his injuries.—
Nick Harris
July 8,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 July 2025
-
Chapek’s short and turbulent reign ended in 2022 when Iger returned as CEO.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
Some 40 of these bizarre, geochemically-active sub-Neptunes are currently being studied observationally.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
As a result of a bizarre last-minute decision, the nominees in two Emmys categories will be announced Tuesday morning on CBS nearly four hours ahead of the TV Academy’s official nominations announcement, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.—
Beatrice Verhoeven,
HollywoodReporter,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Ali spends a good chunk of time confused by the strange words whirling around him.—
Christopher J. Yates
July 9,
Literary Hub,
9 July 2025
-
Once it’s set, however, the song hits that midpoint launch, and the visuals take off with it, careening into a kaleidoscopic burst of moshing, shredding, and seemingly unfettered euphoria that quickly descends into strange violence and cannibalistic chaos.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
For Bertram, whose family winery has roots deep in the terraced vineyards of the valley, the night was a blur of frantic decisions and terrifying uncertainty.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
-
Huntington Park High School Principal Carlos Garibaldi was preparing to host a graduation on his campus when frantic colleagues radioed him: Immigration is coming.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
The economy will not thrive on backward, barbarian technologies and our babies will suffer from the burden of debt, bad air and blackouts.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
-
Built on the site of an ancient Roman fortress that protected the empire from barbarian invasion, the castle was constructed between the 11th and 14th centuries.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
Not everyone will be excited to see the president back in town, however.—
Haisten Willis,
The Washington Examiner,
14 July 2025
-
The actress, 32, spoke with PEOPLE on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film Smurfs and shared that her kids — son Kingston, 4, and daughter Jackson, 2 — are going to be very excited to see their mom on the big screen.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wild.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wild. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share