wilder

verb

wil·​der ˈwil-dər 

wildered; wildering; wilders

transitive verb

1

archaic : to lead astray

2

archaic : bewilder, perplex

intransitive verb

archaic : to move at random : wander

wilderment

ˈwil-dər-mənt 

noun archaic

Examples of wilder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But things get even wilder when everyone on the show becomes Janet for an episode. —Christian Holub, EW.com, 16 Sep. 2024

With Henry, Julius finds a man even wilder than him, full of endless ambition. —Jourdain Searles, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

But then a new study came out about something even wilder: animals performing surgery on one another. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 31 July 2024

Biden’s debate debacle has given rise to some wild replacement conspiracy theories, none wilder than the suggestion that Biden should dump Vice President Kamala Harris and put former President Barack Obama on the ticket. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 7 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably irregular from wilderness

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Biographical Definition

Wilder 1 of 3

biographical name (1)

Wil·​der ˈwī(-ə)l-dər 

Billy 1906–2002 born Samuel Wilder American (Polish-born) filmmaker

Wilder

2 of 3

biographical name (2)

Laura Ingalls 1867–1957 née Laura Ingalls American author

Wilder

3 of 3

biographical name (3)

Thornton Niven 1897–1975 American author