feral

¹ American  

[feer-uhl, fer-] / ˈfɪər əl, ˈfɛr- /

adjective

1. existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild.

2. having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication.

   a pack of feral dogs roaming the woods.

3. of or characteristic of wild animals; ferocious; brutal.

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feral ² American  

[feer-uhl, fer-] / ˈfɪər əl, ˈfɛr- /

adjective

1. causing death; fatal.

2. funereal; gloomy.

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feral ¹ British  

/ ˈfɛr-, ˈfɪərəl /

adjective

1. Also: ferine.  (of animals and plants) existing in a wild or uncultivated state, esp after being domestic or cultivated

2. Also: ferine.  savage; brutal

3. derogatory (of a person) tending to be interested in environmental issues and having a rugged, unkempt appearance

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noun

1. derogatory a person who displays such tendencies and appearance

2. slang disgusting

3. slang excellent

feral ² British  

/ ˈfɛr-, ˈfɪərəl /

adjective

1. astrology associated with death

2. gloomy; funereal

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feral Scientific  

/ fîr′əl,fĕr′- /

1. Existing in a wild or untamed state, either naturally or having returned to such a state from domestication.

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Etymology

Origin of feral¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Medieval Latin, Late Latin ferālis “bestial, wild,” from Latin fer(a) “wild beast” + -ālis -al ¹

Origin of feral²

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin fērālis “of the dead, funerary, fatal”

Example Sentences

Cats, domestic and feral, together take another billion.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scream queen Samara Weaving has an extraordinary yell: shrill, feral and ferocious, like a mongoose before it goes on the attack.

From Los Angeles Times

Even as I can see what Theo is feeling, it’s hard to imagine why he would feel it for me, the nocturnal, feral creature I’ve become since living with Aunt Tess.

From Literature

His first presidential campaign in 2016 was marked by a feral but highly developed gut instinct for what the public wanted, or at least what it thought it wanted.

From Salon

The virus is better known in the U.S. for sweeping through dairy herds, where it infected dozens of dairy workers, millions of cows and thousands of wild, feral and domestic mammals.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ferocious