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

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

b

: a bewildering situation

those moral wildernesses of civilized life

—Norman Mailer

Synonyms

• wild
• desert
• country
• outdoors

Examples of wilderness in a Sentence

She enjoys hikes through the wilderness.

released the wolf back into the wilderness

Recent Examples on the Web

Through wilderness protection, it would be preserved for future generations. —arkansasonline.com, 6 July 2025

Several generations ago, her great-great grandfather escaped a plantation in Georgia where he was enslaved and headed to the Canadian wilderness. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 July 2025

Green Chili Pulled Pork Fries At Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company in Phoenix, Arizona grown, duck fat fries covered in wilderness beer cheese, pulled pork, green chili, and parsley. —Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025

After dropping their troubled son off at wilderness camp?!? —Emma Specter, Vogue, 4 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from wildern wild, from Old English wilddēoren of wild beasts

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing wilderness

• wilderness area

Kids 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