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 MailerExamples of wilderness in a Sentence
She enjoys hikes through the wilderness.
released the wolf back into the wilderness
Recent Examples on the Web
Kean has spent the past few years in the footballing wilderness, crossing 1,000 league minutes only twice across the six seasons between 2017-18 and 2023-24.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 28 July 2025
For better or worse, Grand Canyon Lodge democratized Arizona’s northern wilderness.
—Greg Burton, AZCentral.com, 27 July 2025
With the Trump administration considering ways to privatize public land and cut funding for national parks, the question of what will happen to our beloved wilderness in all its forms is growing in importance.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
At Roscosmos, Platonov was previously assigned to test duties as an aircraft pilot and scuba diver, conducted zero-gravity training and wilderness survival exercises, according to NASA.
—Brett Tingley, Space.com, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wilderness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 28 July 2025
For better or worse, Grand Canyon Lodge democratized Arizona’s northern wilderness.
—Greg Burton, AZCentral.com, 27 July 2025
With the Trump administration considering ways to privatize public land and cut funding for national parks, the question of what will happen to our beloved wilderness in all its forms is growing in importance.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
At Roscosmos, Platonov was previously assigned to test duties as an aircraft pilot and scuba diver, conducted zero-gravity training and wilderness survival exercises, according to NASA.
—Brett Tingley, Space.com, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wilderness
Cite this Entry
“Wilderness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wilderness. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share