wilderness
WIL-der-nis
/ˈwɪl.dɚ.nəs/
An uncultivated, uninhabited, and wild region in its natural state.
Refers broadly to vast tracts of land dominated by natural forces rather than human engineering.
The story behind the word. From Old English wildeornes, built from wildeor ('wild beast', a compound of wild + deor 'animal'). Literally translated, wilderness is 'the place where wild beasts roam freely without human interference.'
Word relationships
- wilds: Wilds is an informal plural noun, while wilderness is an official geographic and ecological term.
- civilization: Human society with developed infrastructure and towns.
- settlement: A community of people establishing habitations.
Commonly confused with
- backcountry: Wilderness denotes untamed nature in general; backcountry specifically refers to remote regions away from developed trails.
Collocations
- wilderness area
- into the wilderness
- wilderness survival
- vast wilderness
Idioms & expressions
- a voice in the wilderness
- lost in the wilderness
Example sentences
- "The national park set aside thousands of acres as protected wilderness where motorized vehicles were banned." Environmental protection
Memory hook
WILD + ANIMALS (deor) = WILDERNESS. Wilderness = realm of wild beasts.
When not to use
Avoid calling a small suburban city park a wilderness.
Fun facts
- In US law, the Wilderness Act of 1964 defines a wilderness as 'an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man'.
Related words
Explore more words
wildfire, frontier, secluded, desolation, terrain, countryside
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