wild

comparative wilder · superlative wildest · alternative obsolete wilde · alternative obsolete wyld

1. Untamed; not domesticated.
   1. Especially, being of the wild type: being of an unbroken ancestral line of undomesticated animals, as opposed to being feral, being an undomesticated animal whose ancestors were domesticated.

      Near-synonym: indigenous

      5 more examples

      Przewalski's horses are the only remaining wild horses, although there are many feral horses throughout the world.

      In this region, the wild boars can be dangerous, but (perhaps counterintuitively) the feral hogs can be even worse.

      noli me tangere for Ceſars I ame and wylde for to hold though I ſeme tame

      c. 1527–1542, Thomas Wyatt, “Who so list to hounte”, in Egerton MS 2711, page 7v

      Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way.

      c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]

      Thee Shepherd, thee the Woods, and deſert caves, / With wilde Thyme and the gadding Vine o'regrown,

      1637 (date written; published 1638), John Milton, “Lycidas”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 58

      Synonyms: feral, indomite, tameless, indigenous · Antonyms: tame

   2. Being in the wild, by any pathway (whether by being of the wild type, by being feral since birth, or by being feral after escape from domesticated life).

      Synonyms: feral, indomite, tameless · Antonyms: tame

2. From or relating to wild creatures.

   wild honey

3. Unrestrained or uninhibited.

   I was filled with wild rage when I discovered the infidelity, and punched a hole in the wall.

   1 more example

   Forgive these wild and wandering cries, ⁠Confusions of a wasted youth; ⁠Forgive them where they fail in truth, And in thy wisdom make me wise.

   1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Prologue”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC

4. Raucous, unruly, or licentious.

   The fraternity was infamous for its wild parties, which frequently resulted in police involvement.

   1 more example

   Those most rural routes will not get overhead wires. As Reeve told the seminar: "Even in my wildest dreams, I can't see a business case for electrifying the Far North Line."

   2022 August 10, Philip Haigh, “Scotland switched on to electrification”, in RAIL, number 963, page 35

5. businessOf unregulated and varying frequency.

   The aircraft's navigational equipment should not be powered from the wild AC bus except in an emergency, as its computers can be damaged by variations in electrical frequency.

6. Visibly and overtly anxious; frantic.

   Her mother was wild with fear when she didn't return home after the party.

   1 more example

   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.

   2011 August 7, Chris Bevan, “Man City 2-3 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport

7. Furious; very angry.

   Synonyms: fierce, rabid, raging, ferocious, fierce, furious, rampant, grim

8. Disheveled, tangled, or untidy.

   After a week on the trail without a mirror, my hair was wild and dirty.

9. Enthusiastic.

   I'm not wild about the idea of a two day car trip with my nephews, but it's my only option.

10. Very inaccurate; far off the mark.

    The novice archer fired a wild shot and hit her opponent's target.

11. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered.

    a wild roadstead

12. nauticalHard to steer.
13. mathematicsNot capable of being represented as a finite closed polygonal chain.

    Antonyms: tame

14. slangAmazing, awesome, unbelievable.

    Did you hear? Pat won the lottery! — Wow, that's wild!

15. slangVery unexpected; wildly surprising; crazy, diabolical.
16. Able to stand in for others, e.g. a card in games, or a text character in computer pattern matching.

    In this card game, aces are wild: they can take the place of any other card.

    1 more example

    We define a pattern as a valid GP subtree that might contain wild characters [i.e. wildcards] in any of its nodes.

    2009, Leonardo Vanneschi, Steven Gustafson, Alberto Moraglio, Genetic Programming: 12th European Conference

17. Of an audio recording: intended to be synchronized with film or video but recorded separately.

    a wild track; wild sound

alternative obsolete wilde · alternative obsolete wyld

1. not comparableInaccurately; not on target.

   The javelin flew wild and struck a spectator, to the horror of all observing.

2. not comparableIntended to be synchronized with film or video but recorded separately.

   Let's record it wild.

plural wilds · alternative obsolete wilde · alternative obsolete wyld

1. singularwith definite articleThe undomesticated state of a wild animal.

   After mending the lion's leg, we returned him to the wild.

2. in pluralA wilderness.

   1730–1774, Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to Switzerland Thus every good his native wilds impart Imprints the patriot passion on his heart; And e’en those ills that round his mansion rise Enhance the bliss his scanty funds supplies.

3. Something that is able to stand in for others, such as a particular playing card in a game.

present singular third person wilds · participle present wilding · participle past wilded · past wilded · alternative obsolete wilde · alternative obsolete wyld

1. intransitiveslangTo commit random acts of assault, robbery, and rape in an urban setting, especially as a gang.

   Now is they wildin with us / And getting rowdy with us.

   1999, Busta Rhymes (Trevor Taheim Smith, Jr.), Iz They Wildin Wit Us? (song)

   1 more example

   ...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."...

   1989 April 22, David E. Pitt, “Jogger's Attackers Terrorized at Least 9 in 2 Hours”, in New York Times, page 1

2. intransitiveslang(In the form wilding or wildin') To act in a strange or unexpected way.

   Kinsey posted a clip of the incident alongside a caption that reads: "Damn the ER in Tulsa be wildin'."

   2021 October 14, Jack Beresford, “Hospital Security Guard 'Heartbroken' After Being Fired Over Viral Video Confrontation”, in Newsweek

   2 more examples

   They had a big influence on me. They had a big influence on Brooklyn period. I like the nonsense. [laughs] They were wildin'. Everyone in Brooklyn was liking that shit. They're wildin'. Their story in the stu, it gets deep.

   2021 April 6, Shirley Ju, “The New Voice of Brooklyn is Here To 'Drench 'Em'”, in Flaunt Magazine, archived from the original on 07 Sep 2022

   The Ringer's Culture/NBA writer Wosney Lambre said it best: "I think it's a bad look for the players to be wilding on the fans like this. Fair or not, the players are held to a higher standard of decorum than the loser fans. It is what it is."

   2022 April 20, A. Sherrod Blakely, “The Neverending Disappointment of Kyrie Irving”, in Bleacher Report

plural wilds

1. alternativeAlternative form of weald.

1. A surname from Middle English originally referring to a wild person, or for someone living in uncultivated land.