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
But park visitors can one day expect to see much more beyond that wilderness at the iconic park in Central Florida – something more ambitious than just a ride overhaul or a retheming.
—Natasha Chen, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Until recently, only a dirt road through the wilderness led to the Pine Ridge Forest.
—Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2024
Renewable energy is stuck out in the wilderness without enough transmission lines to bring it to population centers.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Muir’s fingerprints are all over those years in the wilderness.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
On the first two missions, DJ’s monitor showed the Ukrainian steppe below as his drone catapulted through the wilderness at upward of 60 miles per hour, strapped with roughly three pounds of high explosives and aimed at destroying Russian vehicles.
—Yurii Shyvala, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
In early 2017 while in the wilderness of MRSA, Barnett filed an AIR21 whistleblower complaint with The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
Hoss will play Hanna, a doctor who, during the midst of an epidemic, goes into self-isolation in the mountain wilderness to protect herself and others.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
The retreat, less than a 20-minute drive from Acadia National Park, delivers awe-striking wilderness with a touch of luxury across its 64 canvas tents.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024
Natasha Chen, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Until recently, only a dirt road through the wilderness led to the Pine Ridge Forest.
—Taylor McIntyre, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2024
Renewable energy is stuck out in the wilderness without enough transmission lines to bring it to population centers.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Muir’s fingerprints are all over those years in the wilderness.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024
On the first two missions, DJ’s monitor showed the Ukrainian steppe below as his drone catapulted through the wilderness at upward of 60 miles per hour, strapped with roughly three pounds of high explosives and aimed at destroying Russian vehicles.
—Yurii Shyvala, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
In early 2017 while in the wilderness of MRSA, Barnett filed an AIR21 whistleblower complaint with The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
Hoss will play Hanna, a doctor who, during the midst of an epidemic, goes into self-isolation in the mountain wilderness to protect herself and others.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024
The retreat, less than a 20-minute drive from Acadia National Park, delivers awe-striking wilderness with a touch of luxury across its 64 canvas tents.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wilderness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wilderness
Cite this Entry
“Wilderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilderness. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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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