Wild West

noun

1. the western frontier region of the U.S., before the establishment of stable government.

Wild West

noun

1. the western US during its settlement, esp with reference to its frontier lawlessness

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wild West¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

Slicing through Big Bend National Park, the narrow, two-lane road curves through cliffs of volcanic tuff and past Wild West ranches, ending at the spectacular 1,500-foot limestone walls of Santa Elena Canyon.

From Outside Online

Not long ago, Twitch was a livestreaming Wild West, featuring questionable content ranging from thinly veiled piracy to videos of mass violence.

From Digiday

There is not this sense of Wild West excitement like there was four or five years ago, and that was the Golden Age of raising capital, certainly for earlier stage companies.

From TechCrunch

The world of cookie advertising resembles a capitalist Wild West, where anyone can hang a shingle and try building a fortune in Web ads.

From Washington Post

All that attention is spurring efforts to better police the market—but for now, it’s still a Wild West.

From Quartz

Colleges are also warned that congressional investigations are a “‘Wild West’ without real rules.”

From The Daily Beast

Revel in Wild West lore at the Pony Express National Museum and Jesse James Home Museum in St Joseph, just outside KC.

From The Daily Beast

“WANTED,” the ad reads in a mock-up of old-style Wild West posters.

From The Daily Beast

Luckily, says Hounsou, the direction society is moving makes this the perfect time for that Wild West to be tamed.

From The Daily Beast

Afghanistan was a wild west of Special Forces operators on horseback and tribal raids.

From The Daily Beast

You'll be a heap more sane when you get that old, wild-west notion, that every man should be a law unto himself, out of your head.

From Project Gutenberg

"I shouldn't mind going to the wild west show," observed Tom.

From Project Gutenberg

How typical of the push, vigor, enterprise and pluck which have proved so masterful in the development of our once "Wild West."

From Project Gutenberg

Allowing for nickel-show and Wild-West suggestions, there remains a touch of a somewhat primitive exploit.

From Project Gutenberg

The Indians were erecting a fire-stake, such as they had used in the wild west when some victim was to be roasted alive!

From Project Gutenberg