Definition

Noun: 1. A wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition: A large, uncultivated, and often uninhabited region of land, typically untouched by human development. 2. A bewildering profusion; a confusing mass or collection: A state or place characterized by a confusingly large, dense, or disordered quantity of things. 3. A state of disfavor or obscurity, especially in politics: A period or condition of being out of power, influence, or public attention. 4. (Historical/Geographical) A specific wooded region in northeastern Virginia, USA: The site of significant battles during the American Civil War.

Usage Examples

• Meaning 1 (Wild, uninhabited area):
  • They went hiking in the remote wilderness of Alaska.
  • The national park protects a vast wilderness for future generations.
• Meaning 2 (Bewildering profusion):
  • The report was a wilderness of statistics, impossible to understand quickly.
  • The attic was a wilderness of old furniture and forgotten boxes.
• Meaning 3 (State of political disfavor):
  • After losing the election, the party spent a decade in the political wilderness.
  • The minister found himself in the wilderness after disagreeing with the prime minister.
• Meaning 4 (Specific historical region):
  • The Battle of the Wilderness was a brutal and inconclusive engagement in 1864.

Advanced Usage

• "A voice (crying) in the wilderness": An expression describing someone who expresses an opinion or warning that is ignored or unheeded by others.
  • Her early calls for environmental reform were a voice in the wilderness.
• "Wandering in the wilderness": An idiom often used metaphorically to describe a period of being lost, aimless, or without clear direction or success.
  • The company spent years wandering in the wilderness before finding a successful new strategy.

Variants and Related Words

• Wild (adj): Living or growing in the natural state; not domesticated or cultivated. (e.g., , )
• Wilderness area (n): A designated region where natural conditions are protected and human activity is restricted.

Synonyms

• For Meaning 1: Wasteland, desert, bush, backcountry, wilds.
• For Meaning 2: Maze, jungle, tangle, confusion, jumble.
• For Meaning 3: Obscurity, exile, isolation, purgatory.

Related Phrases

• "Into the wilderness": To go to or be sent to a remote, wild place; metaphorically, to be removed from a position of influence.
  • The scandal forced the CEO into the wilderness.
• "Wilderness of mirrors": A phrase describing a complex, confusing, and deceptive situation, often in espionage or politics, where it is hard to distinguish truth from falsehood.
  • The spy novel was set in a wilderness of mirrors where no one could be trusted.

Noun

1. a bewildering profusion
   • the duties of citizenship are lost sight of in the wilderness of interests of individuals and groups
   • a wilderness of masts in the harbor
2. a wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition
   • it was a wilderness preserved for the hawks and mountaineers
3. a wooded region in northeastern Virginia near Spotsylvania where bloody but inconclusive battles were fought in the American Civil War
4. (politics) a state of disfavor
   • he led the Democratic party back from the wilderness