wilds

wilds — noun

1. remote natural country with very few people, roads, or buildings

1.nounB2
Definition

remote natural country with very few people, roads, or buildings

Example

Christopher spent two weeks in the wilds of northern Canada with a local guide.

pattern: in the wilds of + place

After the road ended, Rodrigo drove deeper into the wilds and lost his phone signal.

collocation: deeper into the wilds

Common collocations
  • the wilds of
  • deep in the wilds
  • search the wilds
  • escape to the wilds
Synonyms
  • wilderness

    more neutral and general for uncultivated natural land

  • backcountry

    often used for remote mountain or hiking areas

  • outback

    strongly associated with Australia and similar empty inland regions

Antonyms
  • city

    built-up place with many people and services

  • suburbs

    settled residential areas close to a town or city

Usage Note

Usually appears as "the wilds", often with "of + place", and suggests country far from towns or ordinary services.

Common Mistakes

They camped in a wild for three nights.
They camped in the wilds for three nights.
this meaning normally uses the plural form 'the wilds' for a remote region.
Idioms

in the wilds

idiom

in a remote area far from towns and difficult to reach

Folake runs a small research station in the wilds of eastern Kenya.

The cabin stood in the wilds, three hours from the nearest village.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

"Wilds" usually suggests a remote stretch of country far from towns, roads, and everyday services, and it often appears in the phrase "the wilds". "Wilderness" is the broadest choice and can describe any uncultivated natural area, whether or not it feels extremely remote. "Backcountry" is common when people are hiking, skiing, or camping in mountain areas beyond easy access. "Outback" points especially to the Australian interior or places imagined in a similar way. You might say a biologist worked in the wilds of Alaska, hikers crossed the backcountry after sunrise, or a travel book described life in the Australian outback.

wilderness ↗backcountry ↗outback ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • deep in the wilds
  • escape to the wilds

Prepositions

  • in the wilds of
  • into the wilds

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

This noun comes from the older adjective "wild", which first described places or living things outside human control or cultivation. In English, the plural form developed into "the wilds" for distant country beyond settled areas, especially places that feel hard to reach or rough to live in.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun