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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

feral

/ˈfɛɹəl/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does feral mean?

adjective

  1. Wild; untamed.
  2. Of an animal, wild but descended from domestic or captive ancestors; thus, in the wild, although not necessarily of the wild type.
  3. Having the characteristics of an animal; animal-like.
More meanings (10)

adjective

  1. Of a person, contemptible; unruly; misbehaved.
  2. Behaving in an out-of-control way due to enthrallment with a certain thought, behavior, person, etc.
  3. (slang) That is a feral character; zoomorphic.
  4. Deadly, fatal.
  5. Of or pertaining to the dead, funereal.

noun

  1. A domesticated (non-human) animal that has returned to the wild; an animal, particularly a domesticated animal, living independently of humans.
  2. A contemptible young person, a lout, a person who behaves wildly.
  3. A person who has isolated themselves from the outside world; one living an alternative lifestyle.
  4. (slang) A furry character in art or literature which has the appearance of a regular animal (typically quadrupedal), that may or may not be able to communicate with humans or "anthros".
  5. Misspelling of ferrule.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈfɛɹəl/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Other dictionary pronunciations

/ˈfɪɹəl/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Take the male and female in feral creation, and there is nothing to choose between them in the matter of cruelty.
Victor MacClureShe Stands AccusedProject Gutenberg ebook #488
Your argument would, I think, apply to the aborigines as well as to the feral.
Charles DarwinLife and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1Project Gutenberg ebook #2087
More book examples (3)
It seems that they seldom or never take to the jungle and become feral, although they are not confined in any way.
Charles Hose; William McDougallThe Pagan Tribes of Borneo A Description of Their Physical Moral and Intellectual Condition, with Some Discussion of Their Ethnic RelationsProject Gutenberg ebook #3307
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.
Charles DarwinOn the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection Or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for LifeProject Gutenberg ebook #1228
This subject of the checks to increase has been ably treated by several authors, and I hope in a future work to discuss it at considerable length, more especially in regard to the feral animals of South America.
Charles DarwinThe Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection Or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 6th EditionProject Gutenberg ebook #2009