feral
Reverted to wildness
Feral describes an animal that was once domesticated but has returned to a wild state, or the offspring of such animals: feral cats, feral hogs.
The word extends to anything untamed or uncontrolled—feral children raised without human contact, or a feral energy that feels raw and unrestrained.
In casual use, feral describes someone acting wild or unhinged: I went feral when I saw the price.
Not domesticated
- undomesticatedNot bred for captivity
- wildNot domesticated or controlled
- strayWander from course
- free-roamingAble to wander unrestricted
roaming · loose · uncaptured · unbroken · escaped · runaway · rewilded · naturalized
Cruelly aggressive in nature
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
- savageFierce and untamed
- brutalSavagely harsh or severe
- bloodthirstyEager to kill
snarling · rabid · dangerous · menacing · threatening · attacking · biting · predatory
Totally without arrangement
- unhingedMentally or emotionally unstable
- crazyMentally unhinged
- wildNot domesticated or controlled
- intenseExtreme in degree
unleashed · savage · hardcore · extreme · out-of-control · gonzo
First in origin
- primitiveIn earliest form
- animalisticResembling brute nature
- beastlySavagely cruel or unpleasant
- brutishCruel and uncivilized
raw · visceral · innate · survival · gut · instinctive · unrestrained · uninhibited
Small furry housepet
- dogDomesticated barking mammal
- pigDomesticated swine for meat
- hogSwine, or monopolize
- horseDomesticated riding animal
goat · cattle · swine · pigeon · colony · pack · litter · population
Resisting authority or control
- defiantOpenly resisting control
- waywardStubbornly self-willed
- ungovernableImpossible to control
- uncontrollableImpossible to restrain
unmanageable · undisciplined · lawless · anarchic · disobedient · insubordinate · recalcitrant · headstrong
untamed
Not domesticated
- undomesticatedNot bred for captivity
- wildNot domesticated or controlled
- strayWander from course
free-roaming · roaming · loose · uncaptured · unbroken · escaped · runaway · rewilded · naturalized · bushland
vicious
Cruelly aggressive in nature
- aggressiveHostile and confrontational
- savageFierce and untamed
- brutalSavagely harsh or severe
bloodthirsty · snarling · rabid · dangerous · menacing · threatening · attacking · biting · predatory · violent
chaotic
Totally without arrangement
intense · unleashed · savage · hardcore · extreme · out-of-control · gonzo
primal
First in origin
- primitiveIn earliest form
- animalisticResembling brute nature
- beastlySavagely cruel or unpleasant
brutish · raw · visceral · innate · survival · gut · instinctive · unrestrained · uninhibited · uncivilized
cat
Small furry housepet
horse · goat · cattle · swine · pigeon · colony · pack · litter · population · invasive
rebellious
Resisting authority or control
- defiantOpenly resisting control
- waywardStubbornly self-willed
- ungovernableImpossible to control
uncontrollable · unmanageable · undisciplined · lawless · anarchic · disobedient · insubordinate · recalcitrant · headstrong · obstinate
homeless
Without a dwelling
forsaken · discarded · dumped · unwanted · unclaimed · unowned · ownerless · masterless · foundling · castaway
- shapeshiftersshapeshifter, werewolf, shape-shifting, lycanthrope, skinwalker
- TNRtrap, neuter, return, community cat, colony
- catscat, kitten, kitty, feline, tabby
- biology termscell, DNA, genetics, genetic, evolution
- animal termswild, tame, domesticated, captive, pet
- fiercebrutal, violent, savage, vicious, ruthless
feraldomesticated
Bred under human care
tame · domestic · tamed · pet · housebroken
- feral hogsUndomesticated roaming swine
- feral catReverted wild domestic feline
- feral dogsDomesticated canines gone wild
- feral pigsUndomesticated swine populations
- feral animalsFormerly domestic, now wild
- feral childHuman youth raised in wilderness
ferocious, ferals, feral cats, feralness, feral cat, feral pigeon, feral child