What does "wildcat" mean?
A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:; Felis silvestris, a common small Old World wild cat somewhat larger than a house cat.
Wildcat
/ˈwaɪldˌkæt/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:; Felis silvestris, a common small Old World wild cat somewhat larger than a house cat.
- Grammar: wildcat is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: savage, adventurous, aleatory, ambush.
- Useful contrasts: authorized, authorized action, authorized strike.
- Usage evidence: These days, the wildcat is a protected species in Algeria.
How to use "wildcat"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wildcat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wildcat" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wildcat" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wildcat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wildcat" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "savage" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wildcat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:; Felis silvestris, a common small Old World wild cat somewhat larger than a house cat. UK
- 2 any small or medium-sized cat resembling the domestic cat and living in the wild wordnet
- 3 A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:; A bobcat (Lynx rufus) or other similar New World species of lynx. US
- 4 an exploratory oil well drilled in land not known to be an oil field wordnet
- 5 A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:; Any feral cat.
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a cruelly rapacious person wordnet
- 7 A cat that lives in the wilderness, specifically:; Alternative spelling of wild cat, any undomesticated felid, as tigers or lions. alt-of, alternative, uncommon
"2003 April 24, CNN Upon checking it out, we found a total of 13 newborn wildcats: nine newborn tigers and two newborn leopards."
- 8 A person who acts like a wildcat, (usually) a violent and easily-angered person or a sexually vigorous one. figuratively
"2002 September 26, The Young and the Restless Anyone who's man enough to have landed a wildcat like you had to be quite a guy."
- 9 An offensive formation with an unbalanced line and a snap directly to the running back rather than the quarterback.
- 10 A wheel that can be adjusted so as to revolve either with or on the shaft of a capstan.
- 11 Clipping of wildcat cartridge. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
- 12 Clipping of wildcat strike (“a strike undertaken without authorization from the relevant trade union”). abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, uncommon
- 13 Clipping of wildcat money (“notes issued by a wildcat bank”). abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, obsolete
Verb
- 1 To drill for oil in an area where no oil has been found before.
"You'd have to be very rich or very desperate to go wildcatting that far east."
Adjective
- 1 Of or concerning businesses operating outside standard or legitimate practice, especially derogatory, not-comparable, usually
"Then the development of the home country was neglected for some wildcat idea of bringing up the backward people of other lands."
- 2 Of or concerning businesses operating outside standard or legitimate practice, especially:; Of or concerning irresponsible banks or banking, (particularly) small, independent operations. dated, derogatory, not-comparable, usually
- 3 Of or concerning businesses operating outside standard or legitimate practice, especially:; Of or concerning oil exploration in new areas, (particularly) small, independent operations. derogatory, not-comparable, usually
- 4 Of or concerning businesses operating outside standard or legitimate practice, especially:; Of or concerning actions undertaken by workers without approval or in defiance of the formal leadership of their trade unions. derogatory, not-comparable, usually
- 5 Of or concerning customized or hand-made cartridges. not-comparable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Unauthorized by the proper authorities. not-comparable
"2003 June 15, CNN Jewish settlers have also been active putting up five new wildcat outposts on hilltops in the West Bank to try to thwart their Prime Minister Ariel Sharon."
Adjective
- 1 (of a mine or oil well) drilled speculatively in an area not known to be productive wordnet
- 2 without official authorization wordnet
- 3 outside the bounds of legitimate or ethical business practices wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"These days, the wildcat is a protected species in Algeria."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wildcat"?
Common synonyms include: savage, adventurous, aleatory, ambush, animal, antelope.
How do you use "wildcat" in a sentence?
These days, the wildcat is a protected species in Algeria.
How do you pronounce "wildcat"?
Pronounced /ˈwaɪldˌkæt/.
Etymology
From Middle English wyld cat, wylde cat (in the plural as wild cattes, wylde catis, wyle cattes), equivalent to wild + cat. Cognate with Middle Low German wiltkatte, German Wildkatze, Swedish vildkatt. Its adjectival senses were originally American and derived from the "wildcat banks" of Michigan, following its elevation to statehood in 1837. Two laws—one easing the requirements for establishing a new bank and another occasioned by the Panic of 1837 that removed the need for payment in specie—led to the creation and collapse of around 50 banks within two years. The term is apocryphally derived from a wildcat supposedly featured on the currency printed by one of these banks, but more probably derived from the remote locations "where the wildcats roamed" chosen by these banks to avoid oversight and minimize redemption of notes.