1
as in wild
living outdoors without taming or domestication by humans
animal experts discourage homeowners from trying to adopt feral animals as pets
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
a novel that reveals just how thin the veneer of civilization is and how feral we are at bottom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in animal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of feral
Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
The gamine Ferran has an extraordinary feral, changeling quality.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
Maddie is a feral woman with a lot of gumption, who is a fighter and a survivor.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025
The final regulations were amended after some feral (outdoor) cat owners expressed concerns about the new rules.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for feral
Adjective
By turns elegant and feral, there’s a sense these dancers have each other’s backs, even as Schultz breaks away to wash himself clean.
—Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
The gamine Ferran has an extraordinary feral, changeling quality.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025
Maddie is a feral woman with a lot of gumption, who is a fighter and a survivor.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025
The final regulations were amended after some feral (outdoor) cat owners expressed concerns about the new rules.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
-
Monday night’s draft commences the 2025 WNBA campaign, which comes on the heels of an all-time wild offseason.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
This behavior mimics their wild ancestors, who would ambush prey from above or perch in trees to avoid danger.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Beyond that, Hamas’ only recourse to staying in power is brute force.—
TIME,
TIME,
23 Mar. 2025
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Rather than raids and brute force, the Trump administration must work with Congress on immigration reforms that benefit all Americans.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This movie is cute, has vibrant landscapes (jelly beans, hot-air balloons, artsy eggs), and animals with loads of personality.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
18 Apr. 2025
-
The headstone belongs to Charlie Houck, a traveling circus animal trainer who died in a Charlotte hospital in 1930 after a lion scratched his arm, causing a fatal infection.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
But graduating in 2009 meant stepping into a brutal job market during the Great Recession.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
From hummingbirds and butterflies to spiders and even lowly beetles, all those wee beasties are part of an intricate web that makes up an ecosystem.—
Paul Cappiello,
The Courier-Journal,
11 Oct. 2024
-
Catch up quick: The legendary little beastie first came to New Orleans by way of the Terrebonne Parish animal shelter.—
Chelsea Brasted,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
-
As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
Noun
-
There was no sign of critter activity inside the house, though evidence of their presence was said to have been found in vehicles linked to the couple.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2025
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As of Monday, thousands of the critters — called velella velella or by-the-wind sailors — have been sighted along the California coastline since the start of March, according to iNaturalist, an online platform for sharing biodiversity information.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The fifth movement is his funeral: a witches’ sabbath replete with monsters and creatures, with an undead version of his beloved as their ringleader.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2025
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In the game, players take on the role of planeswalkers, powerful spellcasters who summon creatures, cast spells and use artifacts to defeat their opponents.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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