wilderness
noun
wil·der·ness
ˈwil-dər-nəs 
1
a(1)
: a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings
(2)
: an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community
b
: an empty or pathless area or region
in remote wildernesses of space groups of nebulae are found—
G. W. Gray †1960
G. W. Gray †1960
c
: a part of a garden devoted to wild growth
2
obsolete
: wild or uncultivated state
3
a
: a confusing multitude or mass : an indefinitely great number or quantity
I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys—William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: a bewildering situation
those moral wildernesses of civilized life—Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Examples of wilderness in a Sentence
She enjoys hikes through the wilderness.
released the wolf back into the wilderness
Recent Examples on the Web
Bowers learned about them from fellow composer Thomas Kotcheff, and thought their approach to making sounds would evoke the wilderness setting of the movie.
—Fred Topel, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2024
Experience Alaska’s wilderness on a seven-day rail trip to the Arctic Circle, complete with dog sledding and mineral baths.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
The government said the cull was necessary to protect native plants and animals in the alpine wilderness, which are vulnerable to damage from large numbers of feral animals.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
Two Redding parents were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of killing their 2-year-old child and burying her body in the wilderness, authorities said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
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Fred Topel, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2024
Experience Alaska’s wilderness on a seven-day rail trip to the Arctic Circle, complete with dog sledding and mineral baths.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
The government said the cull was necessary to protect native plants and animals in the alpine wilderness, which are vulnerable to damage from large numbers of feral animals.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024
Two Redding parents were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of killing their 2-year-old child and burying her body in the wilderness, authorities said.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wilderness
Dictionary Entries Near wilderness
Cite this Entry
“Wilderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilderness. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wilderness
noun
wil·der·ness
ˈwil-dər-nəs
: an area in which few people live that is not used for farming and is more or less in its natural state
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