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
Collectively our testers have more than 11 decades of experience in the wilderness.
—Scott Gilbertson Gear Team, WIRED, 28 Apr. 2024
The scenes are staged for customers paying for photo sessions with elusive animals that could take a photographer like Groo weeks, months, or even a lifetime to capture in the real wilderness.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
For a decade, the Congress Party has been so deep in the political wilderness, occupying fewer than a tenth of the seats in Parliament, that even its well-wishers wonder if Gandhi is merely the custodian of its end.
—Samanth Subramanian Vikas Adam Tanya Pérez Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Yet this utopian vision of motherhood in the wilderness is a precarious one.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
Hiking in the Boise Foothills and beyond can be exciting but requires preparation before venturing into the wilderness.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
The Great North Woods area welcomes visitors to the wilderness for fly fishing, hiking, and camping at Umbagog Lake State Park.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2024
Except this isn’t a family on a wilderness getaway.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
There are also deals on outdoor furniture like this comfy camp chair that’ll be right at home in the backyard, on the beach, at the park, or in the wilderness.
—Malia Griggs, SELF, 15 Apr. 2024
Scott Gilbertson Gear Team, WIRED, 28 Apr. 2024
The scenes are staged for customers paying for photo sessions with elusive animals that could take a photographer like Groo weeks, months, or even a lifetime to capture in the real wilderness.
—Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
For a decade, the Congress Party has been so deep in the political wilderness, occupying fewer than a tenth of the seats in Parliament, that even its well-wishers wonder if Gandhi is merely the custodian of its end.
—Samanth Subramanian Vikas Adam Tanya Pérez Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Yet this utopian vision of motherhood in the wilderness is a precarious one.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
Hiking in the Boise Foothills and beyond can be exciting but requires preparation before venturing into the wilderness.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 18 Apr. 2024
The Great North Woods area welcomes visitors to the wilderness for fly fishing, hiking, and camping at Umbagog Lake State Park.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2024
Except this isn’t a family on a wilderness getaway.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
There are also deals on outdoor furniture like this comfy camp chair that’ll be right at home in the backyard, on the beach, at the park, or in the wilderness.
—Malia Griggs, SELF, 15 Apr. 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 2 May. 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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