wild

The word “wild” means living or growing in a natural state, not tamed, farmed, or cultivated by people. In plain terms, not tamed or controlled — used for animals and plants in nature, for reckless behaviour, or informally for anything surprising.

“Wild” is pronounced WYLD (/ˈwaɪ̯ld/ in IPA).

Here is “wild” used in a sentence: “Wild horses still roam parts of the American West.”

Words with a similar meaning to “wild” include feral, ferine, indomite, savage, tameless and uplandish.

The opposite of “wild” — its antonyms — are broken, docile, domesticated and tame.

Depending on how it is used, “wild” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “wild” comes from Old English. From Old English wilde, an ancient Germanic word ultimately linked to words for "hair" and "wool," describing untamed, shaggy nature.

“Wild” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

Wild describes animals or plants that have always lived or grown naturally, never tamed or cultivated. Feral describes ones that were once domesticated, or descend from domestic stock, but have returned to living wild. A wild horse was never owned; a feral horse escaped domestication and reverted to a natural state.

For animals, the opposite is tame or domesticated; for plants, it is cultivated. A wild creature lives freely in nature, while a tame one is accustomed to people, and a cultivated plant is deliberately grown and tended. Wild implies independence from human control, its opposites imply the reverse.

No. The core sense is natural and untamed, but wild extends widely: wild weather is stormy, a wild idea is bold or reckless, wild behaviour is uncontrolled, and wild land is uncultivated. All these senses trace back to the idea of something not restrained or shaped by people.