• enPR: wīld, IPA: /waɪld/

wild (comparative wilder, superlative wildest)

1. Untamed; not domesticated; specifically, in an unbroken line of undomesticated animals (as opposed to feral, referring to undomesticated animals whose ancestors were domesticated).

   Antonyms: tame

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene iv]:

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

   • 1637, John Milton, “Lycidas”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […] , London: Printed by Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Moſely,  […], published 1645, OCLC 606951673 ↗, page 58 ↗:

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

   Przewalski's horses are the only remaining wild horses.

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.

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.

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

6. Disheveled, tangled, or untidy.

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

7. Enthusiastic.

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

8. Inaccurate.

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

9. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered.

   a wild roadstead

10. (nautical) Hard to steer; said of a vessel.
11. (mathematics, of a knot) Not capable of being represented as a finite closed polygonal chain.

    Antonyms: tame

12. (slang) Amazing, awesome, unbelievable.

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

13. 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.

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

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

• French: sauvage
• German: wild
• Italian: selvaggio, selvatico
• Portuguese: selvagem, silvestre, bravio
• Russian: ди́кий
• Spanish: salvaje, montaraz

• French: déchaîné

• French: sauvage
• German: wild
• Italian: selvaggio
• Portuguese: selvagem
• Spanish: salvaje, fiero

wild

1. Inaccurately; not on target.

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

wild (plural wilds)

1. The undomesticated state of a wild animal

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

2. (chiefly, in the plural) a 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.

wild (wilds, present participle wilding; past and past participle wilded)

1. (intransitive, slang) 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."...

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

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

wild (plural wilds)

1. Alternative form of weald#English|weald

1. Surname originally referring to a wild person, or for someone living in uncultivated land.