wild

 

Something that grows or lives without any assistance from human beings is "wild." You can use this adjective to describe trees, plants, animals, insects, and–sometimes–people.

  • We found some wild berries growing in a field.
  • Be careful when you walk in the forest. You might come across a wild animal.
  • You don’t see very many wild animals when you live in a city.
  • It was interesting to see so many alligators living in the wild when we visited Florida. ("the wild" functions as a noun in this sentence.)
  • A lot of interesting weeds grow wild in our backyard.

The word "wilderness" is similar to "wild."

  • Wolves are found in wilderness areas.
  • They live in the wilderness.

wolf wolf

You can use "wild" to describe a person or describe your personal feelings about something:

  • She has kind of a wild personality. At parties she does a lot of crazy things.
  • The kids down the street are a little wild. Their parents let them do whatever they want.
  • Teenage girls are wild about the singing group, One Direction.
  • I’m not wild about this new design for the website. (not wild about = dislike)
  • Bert says his new girlfriend, Jennifer, drives him wild. (drive one wild = to cause intense feelings of pleasure)
  • That’s wild. (That’s very interesting!)
  • He’s wild and crazy.

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.

This page was first published on May 3, 2012. It was updated on January 27, 2016.