wild and woolly

idiom

chiefly US, informal
: very wild : without order or control
His novels were about the wild and woolly Western frontier.
a wild and woolly love affair

Examples of wild and woolly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is a departure for a major studio like Paramount — one that reflects TV’s wild and woolly new world order. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025 Over the course of 10 wild and woolly national TV dates, Campbell’s charges scared up 22.6 million viewers per game, edging the perennial ratings champs in Dallas by some 175,000 impressions. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wild and woolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20and%20woolly. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on wild and woolly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!