feral
feral Lexical Profile
feral Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Existing in a wild, untamed state, especially after escaping from captivity or domestication.
"The island's native bird population is threatened by a growing colony of feral cats."
Resembling a wild animal in behavior or appearance; fierce, savage, or unrestrained.
"After weeks lost in the wilderness, the survivor had a gaunt, feral look in his eyes."
• noun
An animal, or occasionally a plant, that lives in a wild state after escaping from domestication.
"Local volunteers work with veterinarians to trap, neuter, and shelter neighborhood ferals."
Word Nuance & Usage
In biology and ecology, 'feral' specifically refers to an animal or plant that has escaped from domestication and returned to the wild, whereas 'wild' describes a species that has never been domesticated.
• Rhymes for feral
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Medieval Latin feralis, derived from Classical Latin fera ('wild beast'), which is related to ferus ('wild, untamed').