Wild

Pronunciation

• enPR: wÄ«ld, IPA: /waɪld/
• Rhymes: -aɪld

Origin

From Middle English, from Old English wilde, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz. Compare West Frisian wyld, Dutch wild, German wild, Danish vild.

Full definition of wild

Adjective

1. Untamed; not domesticated.
• ShakespeareWinter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way.
• MiltonThe woods and desert caves,
  With wild thyme and gadding vine o'ergrown.
• 2013, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, Wild Plants to the Rescue, Plant breeding is always a numbers game....The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.
2. The island of Chincoteague is famous for its wild horses.
3. (unrestrained) Unrestrained or uninhibited.
   I was filled with wild rage when I discovered the infidelity, and punched a hole in the wall.
4. Raucous, unruly, or licentious.
   The fraternity was infamous for its wild parties, which frequently resulted in police involvement.
5. Visibly and overtly anxious; frantic.
• 2011, August 7, Chris Bevan, Man City 2-3 Man Utd, City, in contrast, were lethargic in every area of the pitch and their main contribution in the first half-hour was to keep referee Phil Dowd busy, with Micah Richards among four of their players booked early on, in his case for a wild lunge on Young.
6. Her mother was wild with fear when she didn't return home after the party.
7. Disheveled, tangled, or untidy.
   After a week on the trail without a mirror, my hair was wild and dirty.
8. Enthusiastic.
   I'm not wild about the idea of a two day car trip with my nephews, but it's my only option.
9. Inaccurate.
   The novice archer fired a wild shot and hit her opponent's target.
10. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered.a wild roadstead
11. (nautical) Hard to steer; said of a vessel.
12. (mathematics, of a knot) Not capable of being represented as a finite closed polygonal chain.

Antonyms

• (mathematics) tame

Derived terms

Adverb

1. Inaccurately; not on target.The javelin flew wild and struck a spectator, to the horror of all observing.

Noun

1. The undomesticated state of a wild animalAfter mending the lion's leg, we returned him to the wild
2. (chiefly in the plural) a wilderness
• 1730–1774, Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to SwitzerlandThus every good his native wilds impartImprints the patriot passion on his heart;And e’en those ills that round his mansion riseEnhance the bliss his scanty funds supplies.

Verb

1. To commit random acts of assault, robbery, and rape in an urban setting, especially as a gang.
• 1989, David E. Pitt, Jogger's Attackers Terrorized at Least 9 in 2 Hours, New York Times (April 22, 1989), page 1:
• ...Chief of Detectives Robert Colangelo, who said the attacks appeared unrelated to money, race, drugs, or alcohol, said that some of the 20 youths brought in for questioning has told investigators that the crime spree was the product of a pastime called "wilding"."It's not a term that we in the police had heard before," the chief said, noting that the police were unaware of any similar incident in the park recently. "They just said, 'We were going wilding.' In my mind at this point, it implies that they were going to raise hell."...