wilderness
wil·der·ness
noun \ˈwil-dər-nəs\Definition of WILDERNESS
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 — Shakespeare> b : a bewildering situation <those moral wildernesses of civilized life — Norman Mailer>
See Examples of WILDERNESS
- She enjoys hikes through the wilderness.
- <released the wolf back into the wilderness>
Origin of WILDERNESS
Middle English, from wildern wild, from Old English wilddēoren of wild beasts
First Known Use: 13th century
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