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
However, Harris is clearly not going quietly into the political wilderness — the 49th VPOTUS has formed an LLC called Pioneer49 to fuel her next big move.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2025
His years spent going from one forest logging job to another, pairing up with other sawyers to fell giant spruces, yield marvelous vignettes of wilderness frontier life.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
In areas where there are forests, increasing droughts and homes pushing ever further into the wilderness are putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2025
Read on for family-friendly getaways, cozy spots that are flush with amenities and views, romantic retreats, along with several spots to get your hygge on in the wilderness.
—Rachel Fletcher, Architectural Digest, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wilderness 
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Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2025
His years spent going from one forest logging job to another, pairing up with other sawyers to fell giant spruces, yield marvelous vignettes of wilderness frontier life.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
In areas where there are forests, increasing droughts and homes pushing ever further into the wilderness are putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2025
Read on for family-friendly getaways, cozy spots that are flush with amenities and views, romantic retreats, along with several spots to get your hygge on in the wilderness.
—Rachel Fletcher, Architectural Digest, 23 Jan. 2025
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 3 Feb. 2025.
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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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