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Wild West
noun
: the western U.S. in its frontier period characterized by roughness and lawlessness
Wild West
adjective
Examples of Wild West in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
He’s called the cryptocurrency market a Wild West, emphasizing its need for regulation.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 22 May 2024
In the movie, Costner shoots his way through the 19th century Wild West.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 May 2024
NFTs Were a Symptom of the Unregulated Art Market
The NFT boom coincided with the art market’s growing reputation as a Wild West where paintings by artists like Marc Chagall and René Magritte turned into vehicles for sanctions evasion, money laundering and fraud, disguised by shell companies.
—Zachary Small, New York Times, 18 May 2024
Hybrid Westerns like Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger (2013) or Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens (2011) — the former a Pirates of the Caribbean-esque action adventure, the later a Wild West, sci-fi mashup — have fared better on the international market.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 May 2024
After all, a gal’s gotta stick to her guns in the Wild Wild West (Village).
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 3 May 2024
The past seven years with Wild West Voyages, one of my favorites has been stand up paddle boarding and SUP Yoga.
—Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
Related Stories The secret to the show’s success seems to be successfully capturing the game franchise’s tricky balance of drama, graphic violence and off-beat humor — something plenty of Western projects have tried and failed to do the in the past (remember Will Smith’s Wild Wild West?).
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
After Search, Loring was an in-demand guest star, showing up on such shows as Wagon Train, The Eleventh Hour, Gunsmoke, The Defenders, Daniel Boone, Perry Mason, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Big Valley, Burke’s Law, The Wild Wild West, Bonanza, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mod Squad and Police Woman.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Wild West.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1844, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near Wild West
Cite this Entry
“Wild West.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Wild%20West. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
Wild West
noun
: the western U.S. in its frontier period characterized by roughness and lawlessness
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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