Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| wild | /vɪlt/ |
| wüst | /vyːst/ |
The primary way to express the concept of being barbaric or not civilized is through the adjective wild. It describes things that are untamed or lack civilization. If you wish to refer to an uncivilized or feral person as a noun, you can use Wilder, Wilde or roher Mensch. For the sense of attacking or assaulting something ferociously, you might use the verbs angreifen, anfallen or bestürmen.
Which one should you use?
While wild is used for untamed nature or a lack of civilization, the word wüst is often used to describe something that is desolate, ruined, or, in a more archaic sense, extremely coarse or unrestrained.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective wild changes its ending based on the noun it describes. It takes the ending -e when used with feminine or plural nouns in the nominative case, such as wilde. It also takes the ending -en in many inflected forms, such as the masculine accusative or dative, appearing as wilden.
How do you pronounce it?
/vɪlt/
Did you know?
- In German, describing a child as wild is often a compliment to their energy rather than a criticism of their character. It suggests they are full of life and spirit.
- The German word wüst is a distant relative of the English word 'waste', both sharing a common ancestry describing land that is empty or desolate.
- The adjective wüst can be used to describe a messy room, shifting the meaning from 'barbaric' to 'untidy'.
Examples in context
- Jeder Wilde kann tanzen.Every savage can dance.This sentence uses the noun form of wild to describe a person.Tatoeba #2633948 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #837398 by Scott
- Musik hat den Reiz ein wildes Tier zu beruhigen.Music has charms to soothe the savage beast.This sentence uses the adjective wild to describe a beast.Tatoeba #706225 by Esperantostern, translation #694032 by darinmex
- Es gibt immer noch einige wilde Stämme auf dieser Insel.There are still some savage tribes on that island.This sentence uses the adjective wild to describe tribes.Tatoeba #1908191 by Tamy, translation #44755 by CM
- Die Veranstaltung wurde von einem wilden Sturm beeinträchtigtThe event was affected by a savage storm
- Das wilde Tier wirkte ungebändigtThe wild animal appeared savage
- Mein Gegenüber gab mir einen gewaltigen, wilden BlickMy counterpart gave me a mighty, savage glance
- Der Film war echt brutalThe movie was really savage
- Das Konzert war echt krass!The concert was really savage!
- Die Party war einfach nur wahnsinnig!The party was simply savage!
- Der gnadenlose Angriff des Feindes war verheerendThe savage attack by the enemy was devastating
- Ich habe gestern ein Video gesehen, wie jemand von einem Baum ins Wasser gesprungen ist – total krass!I watched a video yesterday of someone jumping from a tree into the water – totally savage!
- Die wilde Landschaft war atemberaubend schönThe savage landscape was breathtakingly beautiful
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are discussing an old history book.
- JuliaDas Buch beschreibt eine wilde Zeit.The book describes a wild time.
- FelixMeinst du die Zeit der wilden Stämme?Do you mean the time of the wild tribes?
- JuliaJa, alles wirkte sehr wild und ungeordnet.Yes, everything seemed very wild and disorganized.
- FelixDas war eine wirklich wilde Ära.That was a truly wild era.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “savage” translations and entries wild, wüst, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wild, wüst, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
