feral en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈfɪːɹəl/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈfiɾəl/ (Scotland)
- /ˈfiəɹəl/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈfɪəɹəl/ (Australia)
- /ˈfɪɹəl/ (General-American)
- /ˈfɪəɹəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈfɛɾəl/ (Scotland)
- /ˈfɛɹəl/ (General-American)
- /ˈfeɹəl/ (New-Zealand)
- /ˈfeɹəl/ (Australia)
- /ˈfɛɹəl/ (British, Southern, Standard)
- /ˈfɛɹəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Latin fera (“wild beast”, noun) + -al or Latin ferus (“wild; savage; cruel”, adjective) + -al. Alternatively, borrowed from Middle French féral or Late Latin ferālis.
Meanings
-
Wild; untamed.
Among the ensemble’s strange, outmoded, “original” instruments — the feral horns, sour violins, wooden flutes, cellos without endpins — she seemed right at home, despite her Broadway provenance.
2007 July 8, Jesse Green, “Let Her Entertain You. Please!”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 24 Nov 2020:1876 Statistical, Descriptive, And Historical Account Of The North-Western Provinces Of India. Allahabad: North-Western Provinces' Government Press 1876. p XIV, Agra Division The spotted deer, in a truly feral state, has very much the same distribution in Bundelkhand as the sambar, but it is more numerous.
-
Wild; untamed. ▸ Of an animal, wild but descended from domestic or captive ancestors; thus, in the wild, although not necessarily of the wild type.
The Guinea fowl has become thoroughly feral in Jamaica and in St. Domingo, and has diminished in size; the legs are black, whereas the legs of the aboriginal African bird are said to be grey. This small change is worth notice on account of the often-repeated statement that all feral animals invariably revert in every character to their original type.
1884 Charles Darwin The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication 2nd ed 1884 Chapter 8, p. 310In this region, the wild boars can be dangerous, but (perhaps counterintuitively) the feral hogs can be even worse.
This subject has been ably treated by several authors, and I shall, in my future work, discuss some of the checks at considerable length, more especially in regard to the feral animals of South America.
1859, Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species:It owes its existence to a feral culture of internet goblins who sentence-mixed the same few janky cutscenes for years.
2023 July 13, Harvey Randall, “The internet shitposted too close to the sun, and now we're getting a spiritual successor to the most cursed Zelda games of all time”, in PC Gamer:
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Wild; untamed. ▸ Having the characteristics of an animal; animal-like.
There were about fifty tables and the customers were packed in like black olives in a jar. It was hot and the air was thick with smoke and the sweet, feral smell of two hundred negro bodies.
1954, Ian Fleming, “Table Z”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 55:
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Wild; untamed. ▸ Of a person, contemptible; unruly; misbehaved.
This consideration doth afford us no small light in conceiving and judging the manners and qualifications of persons, as hath been observed, that those that have impressions of grapes, or signals of vines on their bodies, are addicted to drunkenness, those who have resemblance on their bodies, or in their countenances of a boar, or any feral creature, participate in the same feral, wild and unmannerly deportment; those having any similitude of a hare, are fearful; of a fox, are cunning; of a wolf, cruel; and so of all other resemblances: and, as from these resemblances, the manners are conjectured, so likewise future events, and fortune good or bad, as shall be noted in due place. Nature is strange in many of her operations; but this is most certain, the party retains the qualities of that animal or thing to which he hath a resemblance.
1792 The Opinion of Naturalists Concerning the Moles as they are Caused in Women's Pregnancy. The Conjuror's Magazine for August 1792. p.130Palmistry . . .The figure of a semicircle in the quadrangle of the hand, notes a feral shedder of human blood, an implacable merciless spirit.... Little puncts disorderly in the natural line, shew the worst of manners, and a feral beast-like nature.
The Conjuror's Magazine for August 1792. p.137
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(Internet) Wild; untamed. ▸ Behaving in an out-of-control way due to enthrallment with a certain thought, behavior, person, etc.
Miners fans have been going absolutely feral over you, [and] you're also disgustingly talented. People want you to play for them! You had Canadians bitching about you being American born the first time you played for Team USA.
2022 February 15, Stephanie Hoyt, The Magic Between, NineStar Press, →ISBN:
- (not-comparable, slang) Wild; untamed. ▸ That is a feral character; zoomorphic.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more feral | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most feral | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
ferality · semiferal · feral cat · feral child · feralization · feralness · superferal · feral pigeon · hyperferal · feralize · nonferal · ferally
Synonyms
indomite · uplandish · tameless · tameless · tameless · savage · ferine · tameless · savage · tameless · ferine · uplandish · savage · untamed · uplandish · ferine · ferine · savage · uplandish · savage · ferine · uplandish · untamed · indomite · tameless · tameless · feral · feral · ferine · untame · untame · ferine · untame · tameless · untamed · tameless · indomite · wild · tameless · untamed · savage · untame · ferine · untame · savage · wild · feral · savage · tameless · uplandish · ferine · savage · ferine · feral · indomite · feral · tameless · wild · savage · wild · untamed · ferine · wild · indomite · ferine · indomite · untamed · savage · savage · untame · feral · wild
Translations (54)
bg див (wild or untamed) · ms jalang (wild or untamed) · th ไม่เชื่อง (wild or untamed) · id meliar (wild or untamed) · es cimarrón (wild or untamed) · ro sălbăticit (wild or untamed) · nl verwilderd (wild or untamed) · pt silvestre (wild or untamed) · fi villi (wild or untamed) · es montaraz (wild or untamed) · fa وحشی (wild or untamed) · mi mohowao (wild or untamed) · tr vahşi (wild or untamed) · ka გაველურებული (wild or untamed) · nl ongetemd (wild or untamed) · es feroz (wild or untamed) · fr haret (wild or untamed) · bg неопитомен (wild or untamed) · ja 野生 (wild or untamed) · nl wild (wild or untamed) · fi villiintynyt (wild or untamed) · mk див (wild or untamed) · gl bravo (wild or untamed) · it inselvatichito (wild but descendend from domestic ancestors) · fr féral (wild or untamed) · de wild (wild or untamed) · el άγριος (wild or untamed) · fr marron (wild or untamed) · it ferino (animal-like, having animal characteristics) · sv förvildad (wild or untamed) · ms feral (wild or untamed) · es silvestre (wild or untamed) · gl asilvestrado (wild or untamed) · it selvaggio (wild or untamed) · pox dai̯vĕ (wild or untamed) · gl salvaxe (wild or untamed) · id jalang (wild or untamed) · it selvatico (wild or untamed) · cs zdivočelý (wild or untamed) · cs divoký (wild or untamed) · it animalesco (animal-like, having animal characteristics) · es ferino (wild or untamed) · pl dziki (wild or untamed) · es fiero (wild or untamed) · tr yabani (wild or untamed) · th ดุร้าย (wild or untamed) · it bestiale (animal-like, having animal characteristics) · es feral (disused) (wild or untamed) · hu elvadult (wild or untamed) · pl zdziczały (wild or untamed) · de verwildert (wild or untamed) · ru ди́кий (wild or untamed) · ru одичавший (wild or untamed) · cmn 野生的 (wild or untamed)