Monthly Archives: January 2022

According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, “wild” means uncivilized or barbaric. Other dictionaries, such as the Cambridge dictionary, describes wild as being “uncontrolled, violent, or extreme.” Many dictionary definitions of the word “wild” use the word to describe things that are out of the social norm or “civilized” way of life. Additionally, the term wild can even be used to describe things that are “attractive” or “exciting.” The definition of wild found from Merriam Webster’s dictionary is very interesting because it describes the term as relative to what is “civilized” or normal. However, because civilization and social norms are not absolute and are constantly changing, this definition would therefore imply that the meaning of wild would also not be absolute, but would instead be constantly changing as well. On the other hand, the definition of wild described in the Cambridge dictionary indicates that wild things are often uncontrolled or extreme. This definition indicates that wildness is opposite of something that is “controlled” or not extreme. However, things that are considered controlled or not extreme have also changed throughout time in different societies and cultures, and therefore wildness is also constantly changing. 

I agree with the dictionary definitions in that I believe that “wildness” does not have an absolute meaning throughout time, but rather changes meaning depending on the social norms of different times, contexts, and cultures. Wild is a term used to describe things that are unusual in the context of each unique situation. For example, it would be wild for someone for someone to walk around naked on UT campus in 2022. However, in pre-historic times before 10,000 BC, it may not have been so “wild” for humans to be going around undressed, as it was normal in that society to dress in that way.  

Wild is defined to be as either the rawest form of nature as something hasn’t been tamed such as a wild animal or wild grasses or as the personal state of being reckless and led by passion rather than conforming with the ordinary. For something to be considered wild, it has to be seen as unrestrained and idiomatic in its own individual way, the simple aspect of not being influenced by how things should be but by things being unaffectedly how they genuinely want to be.

In my opinion, wild refers to something that isn’t domesticated and ceases to exist without any alterations. Ranging from animals to people to even events, I see wild to be things happening without anything or anyone affecting the outcome. An animal is seen as wild because it isn’t changed to act or belong where it doesn’t, a person is wild because they live as they please without the need to fit in or abide by anyone’s rules, and an event or occasion can be considered wild due to it occurring as if there were no regulations and not allowing anything to control it but the pure fact of existence. Wild experiences tend to occur when rules are broken and rules were made to keep everyone from doing whatever they wanted, in a way altering their original course of action. I see wild as things happening in their most pure, natural sense without having to be a certain way to fit in with today’s society.