English Reference

Word

wilde

Phoneticswilde

/ˈwaɪɫd/

Definition

n. a family name, most famously belonging to the writer Oscar Wilde.

n. A surname of Middle English origin. In a literary or historical context, it almost exclusively refers to Oscar Wilde (1854–1900).

Examples

“The traveler disappeared into the deep wilde.”

“In the old stories, the knight rode out into the wilde to face the dragon.”

“The poet describes the untamed wilde as a place where the laws of man no longer apply and nature reigns supreme.”

Examples

simple

“The traveler disappeared into the deep wilde.”

contextual

“In the old stories, the knight rode out into the wilde to face the dragon.”

complex

“The poet describes the untamed wilde as a place where the laws of man no longer apply and nature reigns supreme.”

Usage

Capitalized as a proper noun.

Teaching tip

Learners will primarily encounter this as a proper noun in literature classes. The lowercase 'wilde' is merely an obsolete spelling of 'wild' and is not used in modern English.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Frequent
Updated
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Formal

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English Reference