characterized by or indicating violent feelings or excitement, as actions or a person's appearance: wild cries; a wild look.
frantic or distracted; crazy: to drive someone wild.
violently or uncontrollably affected: wild with rage; wild with pain.
undisciplined, unruly, or lawless: a gang of wild boys.
unrestrained, untrammeled, or unbridled: wild enthusiasm.
disregardful of moral restraints as to pleasurable indulgence: He repented his wild youth.
unrestrained by reason or prudence: wild schemes.
amazing or incredible: Isn't that wild about Bill getting booted out of the club?
disorderly or disheveled: wild hair.
wide of the mark: He scored on a wild throw.
Informal. intensely eager or enthusiastic: wild to get started; wild about the new styles.
Cards. (of a card) having its value decided by the wishes of the players.
Metallurgy. (of molten metal) generating large amounts of gas during cooling, so as to cause violent bubbling.
adverb
in a wild manner; wildly.
noun
Often wilds . an uncultivated, uninhabited, or desolate region or tract; waste; wilderness; desert: a cabin in the wild; a safari to the wilds of Africa.
verb (used with object),wild·ed,wild·ing.
to travel around as a group, attacking or assaulting (people) in a random and violent way: The man was wilded and left for dead.
Idioms for wild
blow wild, (of an oil or gas well) to spout in an uncontrolled way, as in a blowout.Compare blowout (def. 4).
in the wild,
in a natural state or in the wilderness.
in the real world; in real life:language learning in the classroom and in the wild.
run wild,
to grow unchecked: The rambler roses are running wild.
to show lack of restraint or control: Those children are allowed to run wild.
Origin of wild
before 900; Middle English, Old English wilde; cognate with Dutch, German wild,Old Norse villr,Swedish vild,Gothic wiltheis
Still, in an ozone-polluted environment in the wild, tobacco hawkmoths would have to be close enough to a tobacco flower to see it to learn its altered scent, and Knaden isn’t sure how often that will occur.
This moth may outsmart smog by learning to like pollution-altered aromas|Carmen Drahl|September 11, 2020|Science News
The machine learning adds just enough of a wild card on top of the scripted tracks to give each user a unique mix.
Create your own moody quarantine music with Google’s AI|Karen Hao|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
That’s a wild claim until you consider that the series’ spin-off has been attracting more viewers than would-be franchise contenders like “Real Housewives” and “Below Deck.”
As AT&T considers downsizing its media business, whither WarnerMedia?|Tim Peterson|September 2, 2020|Digiday
When people put eggs in the wild, there’s no antibiotic, so daughters die.
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been OK’d for a first U.S. test flight|Susan Milius|August 22, 2020|Science News
Tesla, the pioneer of the category, has experienced wild stock growth over the past 12 months, culminating in the expectation that it will join the S&P 500.
Electric-vehicle startup Canoo to go public, joining the wave of companies chasing Tesla’s success|dzanemorris|August 18, 2020|Fortune
He has wild swings between trying not to care about Lana and the baby, and being completely obsessed by it.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The sound of birds, quail, even doe, make a wild grid of noise.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Exactly when the transition to modern domestic creature took place, for a bird that is wild to this day, is controversial.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is wild that something that would seem to be so scandalous would just disappear from the press.
The effect of this, and of Wild, Dern says, is that a conversation about grief may finally be beginning.
Crying With Laura Dern: The Star on Her Oscar-Worthy ‘Wild’ Turn|Kevin Fallon|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The macas, and maize, and a fresh steak from the wild bull, enabled them to make a most excellent supper.
The Forest Exiles|Mayne Reid
This is a very strong indication of hybridity with wild hazel or Winkler.
Growing Nuts in the North|Carl Weschcke
This is the wild quest upon which he and his companions have departed, and from which I shrewdly suspect they never will return.
Long Odds|H. Rider Haggard
Here is no wild exaltation, no hysterical obedience to hotly-conceived impulse.
The Historical Nights Entertainment, Second Series|Rafael Sabatini
Wild were the plaudits of the multitude, but the lion was staggering and his roar was muffled.
Ulric the Jarl|William O. Stoddard
British Dictionary definitions for wild (1 of 2)
wild
/ (waɪld) /
adjective
(of animals) living independently of man; not domesticated or tame
(of plants) growing in a natural state; not cultivated
uninhabited or uncultivated; desolatea wild stretch of land
living in a savage or uncivilized waywild tribes
lacking restraintwild merriment
of great violence or intensitya wild storm
disorderly or chaoticwild thoughts; wild talk
dishevelled; untidywild hair
in a state of extreme emotional intensitywild with anger
recklesswild speculations
not calculated; randoma wild guess
unconventional; fantastic; crazywild friends
(postpositive foll by about) informalintensely enthusiastic or excited
(of a card, such as a joker or deuce in some games) able to be given any value the holder pleasesjacks are wild
wild and woolly
rough; untamed; barbarous
(of theories, plans, etc) not fully thought out
adverb
in a wild manner
run wild
to grow without cultivation or care
to behave without restraint
noun
(often plural)a desolate, uncultivated, or uninhabited region
the wild
a free natural state of living
the wilderness
Derived forms of wild
wildish, adjectivewildly, adverbwildness, noun
Word Origin for wild
Old English wilde; related to Old Saxon, Old High German wildi, Old Norse villr, Gothic wiltheis
British Dictionary definitions for wild (2 of 2)
Wild
/ (waɪld) /
noun
Jonathan. ?1682–1725, British criminal, who organized a network of thieves, highwaymen, etc, while also working as an informer: said to have sent over a hundred men to the gallows before being hanged himself