feral
1existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild.
having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication: a pack of feral dogs roaming the woods.
of or characteristic of wild animals; ferocious; brutal.
Origin of feral
1Words Nearby feral
Other definitions for feral (2 of 2)
causing death; fatal.
funereal; gloomy.
Origin of feral
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use feral in a sentence
Now in her 70s, Sharon Patrick calls people “dear” and “hon,” and enjoys talking about the feral cats she feeds on the South Side.
She trained horses on the side, landing a job trapping feral horses in Hawaii—and that led her to vet school.
The more feral horses from New Zealand play, for example, the better they survive their first year.
The first is feral cowardice — captured in the wild-eyed, hunted expression of Republican senators asked to comment on the president’s latest insane or destructive tweet.
Republicans, it isn’t too late to stand up for the nation | Michael Gerson | December 3, 2020 | Washington PostIt may be an exercise in delusion, but it’s still heartening to bask in these letters, to take this feral love for what it was at a freeze-frame moment in time.
What Kurt Vonnegut’s rapturous love letters reveal about him as a writer — and husband | Susan Keselenko Coll | December 3, 2020 | Washington Post
Rather, she shows us: that spandex clad ass twerking in the jungle, surrounded by a feral pack of similarly well fed asses?
Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ Is Too Much Booty for One Man to Handle | Amy Zimmerman | August 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt the same time, playing an animal does require more feral-ness, so to speak.
Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and Revolutionizing Cinema | Marlow Stern | July 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe “Aduba double-take,” a phenomenon that fans of the show often fall victim to, is truly a testament to her feral performance.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Uzo Aduba on Her Journey From Track Phenom to Crazy Eyes | Marlow Stern | June 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut then, with their contorted physiques and feral grimaces they speak directly to the Basquiats.
Devastated, she climbed with feral intensity, hoping the baby might spontaneously abort.
Breaking Mount Everest’s Glass Ceiling | Amanda Padoan, Peter Zuckerman | March 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHow again does it explain reversion to long-lost characters and the resumption of feral characteristics?
Selections from Previous Works | Samuel ButlerIn a feral state he would doubtless have left the herd and become a solitary wanderer.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon | Robert A. SterndaleAn old hunter then mounted a tame elephant, went up to the feral one, seized his ear and ordered him to lie down.
Animal Intelligence | George J. RomanesFurthermore, they are all comparatively large, and if they ever become feral in England, it will not be for many years to come.
Birds in Town and Village | W. H. HudsonThe bright feral light of the super-mongoose's eyes seemed to lance at Sowles, like an infra-red flash.
Telempathy | Vance Simonds
British Dictionary definitions for feral (1 of 2)
/ (ˈfɪərəl, ˈfɛr-) /
Also: ferine (of animals and plants) existing in a wild or uncultivated state, esp after being domestic or cultivated
Also: ferine savage; brutal
Australian derogatory, slang (of a person) tending to be interested in environmental issues and having a rugged, unkempt appearance
Australian derogatory, slang a person who displays such tendencies and appearance
Australian slang disgusting
Australian slang excellent
Origin of feral
1British Dictionary definitions for feral (2 of 2)
/ (ˈfɪərəl, ˈfɛr-) /
astrology associated with death
gloomy; funereal
Origin of feral
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for feral
[ fîr′əl, fĕr′- ]
Existing in a wild or untamed state, either naturally or having returned to such a state from domestication.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse