What does wildcat mean?
Wildcat has several connected meanings, ranging from a literal wild or feral cat to a person who acts with unconventional daring. The expression can be complimentary, describing an enterprising person willing to take risks, or critical, implying dangerous impulsiveness. In the petroleum industry, a wildcat is an exploratory well drilled where no commercial oil or gas deposit is known to exist; wildcatting is the activity of searching for such resources. In labor history, a wildcat strike is a work stoppage not authorized by the appropriate union. The literal sense is now less frequent than the figurative and technical ones, but it remains well understood. Wildcat is especially useful because one word compactly expresses ideas that otherwise require several words: an untested venture, a person who pursues one, and the exploratory search itself.
A wild or feral cat; a person who takes reckless or unconventional risks; an exploratory oil or gas well; or an unauthorized industrial strike.
"The drilling of a wildcat confirmed that the region contained commercially viable oil."
The petroleum and labor meanings are highly idiomatic. The sense meaning a risk-taker may be neutral, approving, or critical according to context.
To search an untested or unproved area for oil, gas, or minerals.
"The surveyors spent two seasons wildcatting for natural gas."
This verb is most common in the petroleum and mining industries.
Relating to exploratory drilling or mineral prospecting, especially in an unproved area.
"The company began wildcat drilling after the geological survey identified a promising formation."
This use is normally attributive, as in “wildcat drilling” or “wildcat oil well,” rather than used as a freely gradable adjective.
The standard plural is used for individual animals, people, or exploratory wells.
"Several wildcats were observed near the edge of the forest."
A “wildcat” can mean a feral feline, a daring risk-taker, or an oil well drilled on a hunch.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wildcat
Wildcat is an English compound formed from “wild” and “cat,” both of which have Germanic roots. Its earliest use referred to a cat living in the wild, and the later sense for a reckless person developed by association with wild, uncontrolled behavior. The petroleum and labor senses arose through metaphorical extension: the first denotes an exploratory well or search, while the latter describes a strike conducted independently of union approval.
Related word forms
How wildcat is actually used
The term can be approving when describing someone daring or independent, but it may imply recklessness when used critically. In labor relations, it denotes a strike conducted without formal union authorization. In petroleum usage, it refers specifically to exploratory activity or drilling in an unproved area.