wild
wild — adjective
1. showing strong or violent emotions or actions that are not kept in check by rule
showing strong or violent emotions or actions that are not kept in check by rules, reason, or discipline
Eitan gave a wild laugh when he heard the ridiculous news, startling everyone nearby.
collocation: wild + laugh / shout / gesture
The storm grew wilder through the night, tearing roofs off several houses along the coast.
comparative form: wilder
Nora had a wild look in her eyes after running three kilometres to catch the last train.
collocation: wild look / expression
The crowd became wild when the referee made a call that nobody expected in the final minute.
Haruto's parents were worried about his wild behaviour at school and asked the teacher for advice.
collocation: wild behaviour / party / night
- wild laugh
- wild look
- wild behaviour
- wild party
- wild night
- unruly
stronger focus on refusing to obey rules, especially of people or groups
- out of control
more general phrase for any situation that cannot be managed
- fierce
more aggressive or violent in tone, often used for weather or animals
- calm
peaceful and controlled, opposite of violent or emotional
- controlled
kept within limits, opposite of unrestrained
Usage Note
Often describes behaviour, emotions, weather, or crowds that have broken free from normal restraint.
Common Mistakes
2. unusual and exciting; describes things that are creatively daring or strikingly
unusual and exciting; describes things that are creatively daring or strikingly enjoyable
Jessica had a wild idea to paint her entire bedroom ceiling like a night sky full of stars.
collocation: wild idea / plan / scheme
Sade went on a wild adventure through the mountains of Thailand with nothing but a small backpack.
collocation: wild adventure / ride / journey
The film was full of wild special effects that made every scene look like a dream.
Christopher told us a wild story about meeting a famous singer in a tiny café in Mexico City.
collocation: wild story / rumour / tale
Amihan designed a dress with wild patterns of bright orange, purple, and electric blue stripes.
collocation: wild colours / patterns / designs
- wild idea
- wild adventure
- wild story
- wild colours
- wild party
- crazy
more informal; can imply the thing is both exciting and slightly foolish
- amazing
broader and more general; less specific about the 'daring' element
- unbelievable
focuses on how surprising the thing is rather than its excitement
Usage Note
Carries a positive or impressed tone — wild parties, wild ideas, wild stories are seen as fun, not dangerous. Informal in many contexts.
3. living or growing freely in nature, without being raised or cared for by people
living or growing freely in nature, without being raised or cared for by people
Mira spotted a wild fox near the edge of the forest while walking her dog at sunrise.
The hikers picked wild mushrooms along the trail, but an expert warned them that some were poisonous.
collocation: wild mushroom / berry / herb
Haruto's garden was full of wild flowers that grew without any watering or fertiliser.
collocation: wild flower / plant
Wild rabbits often come out at dusk to eat grass in the open field behind Cindy's house.
Cyrus learned that wild salmon swim hundreds of kilometres upstream to lay their eggs each year.
collocation: wild animal / bird / fish
- wild animal
- wild flower
- wild mushroom
- wild bird
- wild fish
- undomesticated
more formal and technical; used mainly for animals, not plants
- untamed
poetic or literary; suggests an animal that has not been trained or gentled
- domesticated
trained to live with or be useful to people
- tame
gentle and not afraid of people, usually because of training
Usage Note
Opposite of 'domesticated' for animals and 'cultivated' for plants. This is the most basic, concrete sense of 'wild'.
Common Mistakes
4. describes an area of land that has not been farmed, built on, or settled by peop
describes an area of land that has not been farmed, built on, or settled by people
Christopher drove for hours across wild country where the only roads were made of dirt and gravel.
collocation: wild country / land / landscape
Sade's family owns a piece of wild land in the hills where they go camping twice a year.
The northern part of the island is still wild, with thick forests and no electricity or running water.
Mauricio prefers hiking in wild areas because the paths are quiet and you can see deer and eagles.
- wild country
- wild landscape
- wild region
- wild terrain
- developed
built on and equipped with roads, houses, and services
- cultivated
farmed or planted by people
Usage Note
Only applies to physical landscapes — cannot describe a room or building as 'wild land'.
5. based on imagination, guesswork, or emotion rather than on real evidence or care
based on imagination, guesswork, or emotion rather than on real evidence or careful thinking
Vikram dismissed the rumour as a wild guess that had no connection to what really happened.
collocation: wild guess / claim / accusation
The newspaper printed a wild story about aliens living beneath the city, but nobody took it seriously.
Nora made a wild estimate of the cost without looking at any of the receipts or invoices.
collocation: wild estimate / prediction / statement
Eitan's theory sounded wild at first, but later some evidence emerged that supported part of it.
- wild guess
- wild claim
- wild accusation
- wild rumour
- wild statement
- unreasonable
broader — can also describe behaviour or demands, not just statements
- absurd
stronger negative tone; suggests the idea is laughably wrong
- baseless
formal; emphasises that there is zero evidence behind the claim
- reasonable
based on good sense and evidence
- accurate
correct and based on facts
Usage Note
Usually carries a negative or sceptical tone. Commonly used with nouns like 'guess', 'claim', 'accusation', 'rumour'.
6. extremely interested in or excited about someone or something, often to the poin
extremely interested in or excited about someone or something, often to the point of obsession
Mauricio is absolutely wild about vintage vinyl records and spends every weekend at flea markets.
pattern: wild about [something]
Amihan's little brother is wild about dinosaurs and can name every species in the museum.
The fans went wild when the band walked on stage and played their first song of the night.
collocation: go wild
Cyrus is wild about Japanese food and has learned to cook ramen, sushi, and okonomiyaki at home.
- wild about
- go wild
- wild fan
- crazy about
equally informal and interchangeable in most contexts
- keen on
more British and slightly less intense
- passionate about
more formal; suggests deeper commitment rather than temporary excitement
- indifferent to
not interested in or caring about something
- uninterested in
not giving attention or curiosity to something
Grammar Patterns
wild about + noun / gerund
Usage Note
Almost always used in the pattern 'wild about [something/someone]'. The phrase 'go wild' describes a crowd's enthusiastic reaction.
Common Mistakes
run wild
idiomto behave or grow without any control or limits, often in a way that causes problems
The children ran wild in the park after school, climbing trees and chasing each other until dark.
The ivy on the old house has run wild and now covers the entire wall from roof to ground.
used to say that something is so surprising or unlikely that you would never have imagined it
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would win first prize at the science fair.
In her wildest dreams, Sade could not have imagined how beautiful the northern lights would look.
used to say that nothing would make someone go somewhere or do something they do not want to do
Wild horses could not drag Haruto to another karaoke night after his terrible performance last time.
Mira said wild horses could not drag her back to that haunted house, not even for a thousand dollars.
Much more or better than anyone could have imagined or hoped for.
Winning the lottery was beyond Sara's wildest dreams.
The success of the project went beyond our wildest dreams.
Used to say that something happened in a way that someone did not expect at all.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd win.
Not in his wildest dreams did he expect such kindness.
sow (your) wild oats
idiomTo have a period of wild behavior when young, especially many romantic or sexual relationships.
Maya decided to sow her wild oats before settling down.
He spent his twenties sowing his wild oats across Europe.
Used to say that nothing could persuade someone to go somewhere or do something they do not want to do.
Wild horses wouldn't drag Diego to that boring party.
Wild horses couldn't make her apologize for the mistake.
wild — adverb
1. in a way that is not controlled, restricted, or kept within normal limits
in a way that is not controlled, restricted, or kept within normal limits
Rumours were spreading wild through the small town after the factory suddenly closed its doors.
collocation: spread / run wild
Haruto let his imagination run wild and drew fantastic creatures that nobody had ever seen before.
The weeds grew wild in the abandoned garden, reaching almost as high as the windows of the house.
Vikram's dog ran wild through the neighbourhood, jumping over fences and knocking over trash cans.
- run wild
- spread wild
- freely
neutral or positive; 'wild' implies a lack of control that may be problematic
- unrestrainedly
more formal and less common
- under control
managed or kept within limits
Usage Note
Most commonly paired with the verbs 'run' or 'spread' to describe uncontrolled growth or circulation.
2. away from the correct position, direction, or intended target
away from the correct position, direction, or intended target
Eitan threw the ball wild and it landed in the neighbour's garden, breaking a flower pot.
pattern: throw/shoot wild
The arrow flew wild and stuck into a tree trunk instead of hitting the target at the fair.
Christopher's shot went wild and the tennis ball sailed over the fence into the swimming pool next door.
Nora's pitch went wild during the baseball game and hit the fence behind the catcher.
- go wild
- throw wild
- shoot wild
- off-target
more direct but less common as an adverb
- astray
more literary; can also mean lost in a moral sense
- on target
hitting the intended mark or goal
Usage Note
Primarily used in sports contexts (baseball, golf, shooting) about a ball or projectile that misses its target. Also used figuratively for a conversation or plan that goes off track.
wild — noun
1. the natural environment where animals and plants live and grow without human con
the natural environment where animals and plants live and grow without human control
Many animals born in zoos have trouble surviving when they are released into the wild.
phrase: into the wild / in the wild
Amihan dreamed of working as a biologist who studies pandas in the wild instead of in research centres.
The conservation group tracks the movements of wild wolves to understand how they behave in the wild.
Sade took a photograph of a tiger in the wild during her trip to a national park in India.
- in the wild
- into the wild
- return to the wild
- nature
broader; includes landscapes and ecosystems, not just the condition of being uncaptive
- the natural world
more formal and all-encompassing
- captivity
the state of being kept in a zoo, cage, or enclosure
Usage Note
Almost always used with the definite article 'the'. Common in set phrases like 'in the wild', 'into the wild', 'return to the wild'.
2. a remote area far from cities and towns where few or no people live, often used
a remote area far from cities and towns where few or no people live, often used in the plural form 'the wilds'
Mauricio spent three weeks hiking through the wilds of Alaska with only a tent and a map.
plural form: the wilds of [place]
The research team travelled into the wilds of the Amazon rainforest to study rare plants and insects.
Few people choose to live in the wilds of northern Canada because the winters are long and harsh.
Haruto's grandfather grew up in the wilds of rural Mongolia, herding goats and sleeping in a yurt.
- the wilds of
- into the wilds
- wilderness
more common and neutral; can be used for any uninhabited natural area
- backcountry
specifically refers to remote rural areas, used more in North America
- the bush
used in Australia, Africa, and Canada for sparsely populated natural areas
- the city
a densely populated, developed urban area
Usage Note
Often used in the plural 'the wilds of [region]' to create a vivid sense of a vast, empty landscape. More literary than 'the wild' (noun sense 1).
Word family
- wildlyadverbB1
- wildnessnounB2
- wildlifenounA2
- wildernessnounB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
These words all describe something not kept within normal limits, but they differ in intensity and typical use. 'Wild' is broad — it can describe weather, behaviour, emotions, crowds, or parties. 'Unruly' focuses on disobedience and is most common for people (especially children, crowds, or hair) that refuse to follow rules. 'Out of control' is a more general phrase that emphasises the lack of management, often with a negative outcome. 'Fierce' is narrower and implies aggressive, angry energy, typically used for storms, battles, or animals. 'Unrestrained' is more formal and neutral, simply stating that no limits were applied. For example: a wild party is loud and fun; an unruly class refuses to listen to the teacher; an out-of-control fire destroys everything in its path; a fierce wind rips branches off trees during a hurricane.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- completely wild
- absolutely wild
- pretty wild
- totally wild
Phrases
- go wild
- run wild
Prepositions
- wild about
- wild with
Etymology
The word 'wild' comes from Old English 'wilde', meaning 'of wild creatures, untamed, uncultivated, uncontrolled'. This traces back to Proto-Germanic '*wilthijaz' and further to Proto-Indo-European '*wel-' meaning 'forest, wilderness'. The sense of 'uncontrolled or undisciplined' (adjective sense 1) appeared in Old English alongside the nature-related meanings. By the 1500s, 'wild' was also being used figuratively for emotions and behaviour. The noun form 'the wild' emerged in the 1800s, influenced by later conservation and nature-writing movements.