The farmer had several of his sheep killed by feral dogs.
Source: tatoeba (3248767)
Feral
/ˈfɛɹ.əl/
Synonyms for "feral" (194 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (39)
abandonedamokanimalanthropophagousatrociousbanefulbarbaricbarbarousbeastlybellowingberserkbestialbloodthirstybloodybloody mindedbloody-mindedblue in the facebrutalbrutalizedbrute
Show 7 more words
Adjective(7 words)
Noun(5 words)
Strong matches (58)
deadlydeath dealingdeath-bringingdeathfuldeathlydeliriousdemoniacdemoniacaldestructivedevilishdiabolicdiabolicaldirgelikedismaldistracteddraconianecstaticenrapturedepitaphicexequial
Show 35 more words
fatalfellferineferociousfiendishfiendlikefiercefoaming at the mouthfranticfrenziedfrothing at the mouthfulminatingfunebrialfunebriousfunebrousfuneralfuneraryfunerealfuriousghoulishgrimhaggardhellishhog wildhog-wildhowlinghystericalin a transportin hystericsinfernalinhumaninhumaneinternecineintoxicatedkill crazy
Related words (97)
kill-crazykillinglethalmadmaddingmalignmalignantmaniacmaniacalmercilessmortalmortuarymournfulmurderousnecrologicnecrologicalnoncivilizedobituaryobsequialorgasmic
Show 43 more words
orgiasticperniciouspitilesspossessedrabidragingrampingrantingravingravishedroaringrunning madruthlesssadisticsanguinarysanguineoussatanicsavagesepulchralsharkishslaveringstormingsubhumanswinishtamelesstartareantombliketransportedtruculentunchristianuncivilizeduncontrollableungentleunhumanuntamedviciousviolentvirulentwildwild eyedwild-eyedwild-lookingwolfish
Determiner(2 words)
more animal characteristicsmore animal features
Noun(9 words)
more animal likemore animal like featuresmore animalisticmost animalisticswedish vildthe wildwild animalwild boarwildcat
Adjective(21 words)
more animal like behaviorsavageuncontrolledundomesticatedunrulyuntameduntamed animalwildwild animal behaviorwild animal populationswild animalswild beastwild celebrationwild creaturewild enthusiasmwild organismwild specimenwildewilderwildest
Show 1 more word
Adverb(2 words)
more animalistic tendenciesmore wild energy
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abandoned, amok, anarchic, animal, animal features.
- Sentence evidence is available for feral, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "feral".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "feral"
Keep "feral" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "feral" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "feral", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "feral" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
5 entriesMore specific
6 entriesferal catferal dogferal marketsferal pigferal politicsferal technology
Collocations
6 entriesferal catferal dogferal marketsferal pigferal populationferal urban wildlife
Inflections
2 entriesmore feralmost feral
Derivations
3 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
50 translations across 27 languages.
Bulgarian
2 entries- див adj (wild or untamed)
- неопитомен adj (wild or untamed)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 野生的 adj (wild or untamed)
Czech
2 entries- divoký adj (wild or untamed)
- zdivočelý adj (wild or untamed)
Dutch
3 entries- ongetemd adj (wild or untamed)
- verwilderd adj (wild or untamed)
- wild adj (wild or untamed)
Finnish
2 entries- villi adj (wild or untamed)
- villiintynyt adj (wild or untamed)
French
3 entries- féral adj (wild or untamed)
- haret adj (wild or untamed)
- marron adj (wild or untamed)
Galician
3 entries- asilvestrado adj (wild or untamed)
- bravo adj (wild or untamed)
- salvaxe adj (wild or untamed)
Georgian
1 entries- გაველურებული adj (wild or untamed)
German
2 entries- verwildert adj (wild or untamed)
- wild adj (wild or untamed)
Greek
1 entries- άγριος adj (wild or untamed)
Hungarian
1 entries- elvadult adj (wild or untamed)
Indonesian
2 entries- jalang adj (wild or untamed)
- meliar adj (wild or untamed)
Italian
2 entries- selvaggio adj (wild or untamed)
- selvatico adj (wild or untamed)
Japanese
1 entries- 野生 adj (wild or untamed)
Macedonian
1 entries- див adj (wild or untamed)
Malay
2 entries- feral adj (wild or untamed)
- jalang adj (wild or untamed)
Māori
1 entries- mohowao adj (wild or untamed)
Persian
1 entries- وحشی adj (wild or untamed)
Polabian
1 entries- dai̯vĕ adj (wild or untamed)
Polish
2 entries- dziki adj (wild or untamed)
- zdziczały adj (wild or untamed)
Portuguese
1 entries- silvestre adj (wild or untamed)
Romanian
1 entries- sălbăticit adj (wild or untamed)
Russian
2 entries- ди́кий adj (wild or untamed)
- одичавший adj (wild or untamed)
Spanish
4 entries- cimarrón adj (wild or untamed)
- feral (disused) adj (wild or untamed)
- ferino adj (wild or untamed)
- feroz adj (wild or untamed)
Swedish
1 entries- förvildad adj (wild or untamed)
Thai
2 entries- ดุร้าย adj (wild or untamed)
- ไม่เชื่อง adj (wild or untamed)
Turkish
2 entries- vahşi adj (wild or untamed)
- yabani adj (wild or untamed)
Sample sentences
27 total sentences available.
Farm cats are usually feral or semi-feral.
Source: tatoeba (5798443)
A feral farm cat bit Tom's hand.
Source: tatoeba (5798459)
The project is a threatened species reintroduction project. We are aiming at eradicating feral animals, predators particularly — cats and foxes — from a large landscape. We will be working with local Indigenous communities to achieve that eradication. We will be then reintroducing a whole range of Australian endangered mammal species that have disappeared from this landscape completely.
Source: tatoeba (6992018)
Showing 4 of 27 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "feral"?
Closest matches include abandoned, amok, anarchic, animal, animal features.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "feral"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.