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wilder

 - 11 dictionary results

wil⋅der

1  [wil-der] Archaic.
Use wilder in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to cause to lose one's way.
2. to bewilder.
–verb (used without object)
3. to lose one's way.
4. to be bewildered.
Origin:
1605–15; perh. extracted from wilderness; intrans. use prob. by assoc. with wander

Related forms:
wil⋅der⋅ment, noun

wild⋅er

2  [wahyl-der]
–adjective
comparative of wild.

Wil⋅der

  [wahyl-der]
–noun
1. Billy (Samuel Wilder), born 1906, U.S. film director, producer, and writer; born in Austria.
2. Laura In⋅galls  [ing-guhlz] , 1867–1957, U.S. writer of children's books.
3. Thorn⋅ton (Niv⋅en)  [thawrn-tn niv-uhn] , 1897–1975, U.S. novelist and playwright.

wild

  [wahyld] adjective, -er, -est, adverb, noun
–adjective
1. living in a state of nature; not tamed or domesticated: a wild animal; wild geese.
2. growing or produced without cultivation or the care of humans, as plants, flowers, fruit, or honey: wild cherries.
3. uncultivated, uninhabited, or waste: wild country.
4. uncivilized or barbarous: wild tribes.
5. of unrestrained violence, fury, intensity, etc.; violent; furious: wild strife; wild storms.
6. characterized by or indicating violent feelings or excitement, as actions or a person's appearance: wild cries; a wild look.
7. frantic or distracted; crazy: to drive someone wild.
8. violently or uncontrollably affected: wild with rage; wild with pain.
9. undisciplined, unruly, or lawless: a gang of wild boys.
10. unrestrained, untrammeled, or unbridled: wild enthusiasm.
11. disregardful of moral restraints as to pleasurable indulgence: He repented his wild youth.
12. unrestrained by reason or prudence: wild schemes.
13. amazing or incredible: Isn't that wild about Bill getting booted out of the club?
14. disorderly or disheveled: wild hair.
15. wide of the mark: He scored on a wild throw.
16. Informal. intensely eager or enthusiastic: wild to get started; wild about the new styles.
17. Cards. (of a card) having its value decided by the wishes of the players.
18. Metallurgy. (of molten metal) generating large amounts of gas during cooling, so as to cause violent bubbling.
–adverb
19. in a wild manner; wildly.
–noun
20. Often, wilds. an uncultivated, uninhabited, or desolate region or tract; waste; wilderness; desert: a cabin in the wild; a safari to the wilds of Africa.
—Idioms
21. blow wild, (of an oil or gas well) to spout in an uncontrolled way, as in a blowout. Compare blowout (def. 4).
22. run wild,
a. to grow unchecked: The rambler roses are running wild.
b. to show lack of restraint or control: Those children are allowed to run wild.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME, OE wilde; c. D, G wild, ON villr, Sw vild, Goth wiltheis

Related forms:
wildly, adverb
wildness, noun

Synonyms:
1. undomesticated, untamed, unbroken; ferocious. 4. barbarian, savage. 5. tempestuous, stormy, frenzied, turbulent. 6. boisterous. 7. insane. 9. self-willed, riotous, unrestrained, wayward. 10. uncontrollable. 12. reckless, rash, extravagant, impracticable. 13. grotesque, bizarre, strange, fanciful. 14. unkempt.

Antonyms:
1. tame.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To wilder
wild   (wīld)   
adj.   wild·er, wild·est

  1. Occurring, growing, or living in a natural state; not domesticated, cultivated, or tamed: wild geese; edible wild plants.

  2. Not inhabited or farmed: remote, wild country.

  3. Uncivilized or barbarous; savage.

    1. Lacking supervision or restraint: wild children living in the street.

    2. Disorderly; unruly: a wild scene in the school cafeteria.

    3. Characterized by a lack of moral restraint; dissolute or licentious: recalled his wild youth with remorse.

    4. Impatiently eager: wild to get away for the weekend.

    5. Informal Highly enthusiastic: just wild about the new music.

  5. Lacking regular order or arrangment; disarranged: wild locks of long hair.

  6. Full of, marked by, or suggestive of strong, uncontrolled emotion: wild with jealousy; a wild look in his eye; a wild rage.

  7. Extravagant; fantastic: a wild idea.

  8. Furiously disturbed or turbulent; stormy: wild weather.

  9. Risky; imprudent: wild financial schemes.

    1. Impatiently eager: wild to get away for the weekend.

    2. Informal Highly enthusiastic: just wild about the new music.

  11. Based on little or no evidence or probability; unfounded: wild accusations; a wild guess.

  12. Deviating greatly from an intended course; erratic: a wild bullet.

  13. Games Having an equivalence or value determined by the cardholder's choice: playing poker with deuces wild.

adv.  In a wild manner: growing wild; roaming wild.
n.  

  1. A natural or undomesticated state: returned the zoo animals to the wild; plants that grow abundantly in the wild.

  2. An uninhabited or uncultivated region. Often used in the plural: the wilds of the northern steppes.

intr.v.   wild·ed, wild·ing, wilds Slang
To go about in a group threatening, robbing, or attacking others: "Police said that the youngsters ... were part of a larger group of teenagers who were 'wilding,'—their slang for terrorizing and bullying" (Maclean's).

[Middle English wilde, from Old English.]
wild'ly adv., wild'ness n.
wil·der   (wĭl'dər)   
v.   wil·dered, wil·der·ing, wil·ders Archaic

v.   tr.

  1. To lead astray; mislead.

  2. To bewilder; perplex.

v.   intr.

  1. To lose one's way.

  2. To become bewildered.


[Perhaps Middle English *wildren, blend of wilden, to be wild (from wilde, wild; see wild) and wanderen, to wander; see wander.]
wil'der·ment n.
Wil·der   (wīl'dər)   
Austrian-born American filmmaker whose works include Double Indemnity (1944), Some Like It Hot (1959), and Fedora (1978).
Wilder, Laura Ingalls 1867-1957.  
American writer of novels, such as Little House on the Prairie (1935), based on her childhood on the American frontier.
Wilder, Thornton   (Niven)
American writer whose works include novels, such as The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927), and the theatrically innovative drama Our Town (1938).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
wild

  1. mod.
    exciting; eccentric; cool. : Things are really wild here.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

wild  (v.)
"to run wild," O.E. awildian (see wild (adj.)). Wilding in the teen gang sense first recorded 1989.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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