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 MailerExamples of wilderness in a Sentence
She enjoys hikes through the wilderness.
released the wolf back into the wilderness
Recent Examples on the Web
Sadly, for now, Murkowski is one of vanishingly few Republican politicians with the guts to speak up against the party’s rogue president — a brave, but lonely, voice in the wilderness.
—Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2025
Others, including Winks, were left out in the wilderness after getting on the wrong side of Van Nistelrooy.
Disjointed, dejected, demotivated and defeated.
—Rob Tanner, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
But amid an eruption in global conflicts, the pope was something of a voice crying out in the wilderness.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
And survival experts wonder what led an experienced outdoorsman to disappear into the wilderness.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wilderness
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Mark Barabak, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2025
Others, including Winks, were left out in the wilderness after getting on the wrong side of Van Nistelrooy.
Disjointed, dejected, demotivated and defeated.
—Rob Tanner, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
But amid an eruption in global conflicts, the pope was something of a voice crying out in the wilderness.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
And survival experts wonder what led an experienced outdoorsman to disappear into the wilderness.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wilderness
Cite this Entry
“Wilderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilderness. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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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