FERAL definition: existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild. See examples of feral used in a sentence. 1.

Understanding the Context

a. Having returned to an untamed state from domestication: a pack of feral dogs. b. Existing in a wild or untamed state.

Key Insights

2. Of or suggestive of a wild animal; savage: a feral grin. [From Latin fera, wild animal, from ferus, wild; see ghwer- in Indo-European roots.] Of or pertaining to wild beasts; wild; ferine; ferous; existing in a state of nature; not domesticated or artificially bred: as, the mallard is the feral stock of the domestic duck. Feral is often used to describe a wild, untamed animal, like the feral cat with its claws and sharp teeth menacingly bared, ready to strike. Qualities that are similar to a wild animal can also be called feral.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a new four-legged friend, the San Francisco SPCA welcomed around 100 cats from Southern California to limit shelter overcrowding. For more on how to adopt, KRON4 News Anchor ... The meaning of FERAL is of, relating to, or suggestive of a wild beast. How to use feral in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Feral. A feral population can have a significant impact on an ecosystem by predation on vulnerable plants or animals, or by competition with indigenous species.

Feral plants and animals constitute a significant share of invasive species, and can be a threat to endangered species. If you describe something or someone as feral, you mean that they seem wild, fierce, and uncontrolled.