feral

adjective

fe·​ral ˈfir-əl 

ˈfer-;

ˈfe-rəl 

1

: of, relating to, or suggestive of a wild beast

feral teeth

feral instincts

2

a

: not domesticated or cultivated : wild

feral animals

b

: having escaped from domestication and become wild

feral cats

feral noun

Synonyms

• savage
• unbroken
• undomesticated
• untamed
• wild
• wilding

Choose the Right Synonym for feral

brutal, brutish, bestial, feral mean characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct.

brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Examples of feral in a Sentence

They led a feral existence.

animal experts discourage homeowners from trying to adopt feral animals as pets

Recent Examples on the Web

While McLaren’s familiar V-8 is all baritone bark and induction whoosh, this engine has a much higher, clearer tenor—culminating in a feral snarl as the needle nears the 8,500 rpm limiter. —Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 2 July 2024

His spiritual journey from being kind of a feral cat/cad to being someone who literally saved hundreds of people’s lives was just very impressive. —Steve Appleford, SPIN, 28 June 2024

The bear was always also, of course, the restaurant business: a feral industry nominally dedicated to leisure and delight that talks a big game about service and celebration while abusing or underpaying its workers, torturing its geniuses, and driving everyone concerned to bankruptcy and despair. —Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 27 June 2024

The feral stillness of Patton’s Wayne occasionally reveals a streak of whimsical eccentricity that intensifies the sense of menace. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin feralis, from Latin fera wild animal, from feminine of ferus wild — more at fierce

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

feral

adjective

fe·​ral ˈfir-əl  ˈfer- 

: having escaped from domestication and become wild

feral cats