What does wildling mean?
A wildling is, most commonly, a plant that has grown without deliberate cultivation. The word can describe a volunteer appearing in a garden, a weed-like plant spreading through a meadow, or a young shrub or tree rooted in woodland and other uncultivated ground. Its use often emphasizes the plant's independence from human control: the wildling has appeared, spread, or survived on its own rather than being deliberately planted and tended. In a more literary or rare sense, a wildling is a person with unconventional tastes, habits, or character, especially someone who resists social or artistic conventions. The word is related to wild and carries a mild suggestion of naturalness, resilience, and untamed growth. It is useful when the origin of a plant or the independent character of a person is important to the description.
nounA plant that grows spontaneously without being cultivated, especially one found in a natural or uncultivated setting. In literary or rare use, a wildling can also mean a person regarded as having wild or unconventional tastes.
- A plant growing wild or appearing spontaneously without cultivation.
- A person with wild or unconventional tastes, habits, or character.
"A wildling of bramble had taken root beside the old garden wall."
"The meadow was dotted with bright wildlings that had appeared after the spring rains."
"In the novel, the young artist is portrayed as a wildling who refuses every conventional path."
The regular plural is wildlings, especially for plants growing spontaneously.
"Several wildlings appeared among the stones during the wet spring."
A wildling is nature's way of skipping the nursery: a plant that takes root on its own.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does wildling come from?
Wildling is an English formation built on the older word wild together with the suffix -ling. The suffix commonly suggests something small, young, or belonging to a particular kind, so a wildling was understood as a small or young plant growing in the wild. The word's use for a person with unconventional tastes is a later, figurative extension of that idea. It belongs to the same wider English word family as wilderness, wildness, and wildly.
How wildling is actually used
The botanical sense is the common modern usage. The sense referring to a person is literary and relatively rare, and usually suggests unconventionality rather than merely untamed behavior.