# Wilde

/ˈwaɪɫd/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wilde
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a surname

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal

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

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

- The teacher asked if we had ever read any plays by Oscar Wilde.
- The influence of Wilde on the development of the modern aesthetic movement remains a central topic in late-Victorian literary studies.

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.

## 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.