wildly
gb/wˈaɪldli/ us/wˈaɪldli/
B1
English
~ 5200
Senses
0 senses
adverb
B1
property
1
in an uncontrolled or frenzied way
In a way that is not calm or controlled, often with a lot of energy or strong feeling.
Usage pattern:
to [verb] wildly
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "wildly" with the adjective "wild" and say things like *"a wildly party"* instead of *"a wild party"*. Remember: "wildly" modifies verbs or adjectives (e.g., "shout wildly"), while "wild" modifies nouns (e.g., "a wild party").
Synonyms
frantically (Adds a sense of panic or urgency, not just lack of control.)
|
crazily (Informal; can sound more humorous or exaggerated than "wildly.")
|
madly (Often used for strong emotion or speed; similar level of intensity to "wildly.")
Antonyms
calmly (Shows control and quiet behavior, the opposite of wild movement or emotion.)
|
steadily (Emphasizes smooth, controlled, and regular action, not sudden or wild.)
Collocations
laugh wildly
|wave wildly
|run wildly
|cheer wildly
|gesture wildly
|look around wildly
Themes
behavior
|emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The crowd cheered wildly when the team scored in the last minute.
- She waved wildly to catch her friend’s attention across the street.
- He looked around wildly, trying to find where the noise was coming from.
- The horses ran wildly across the field after the gate opened.
- Fans screamed wildly as the singer walked onto the stage.
Learner examples
- The children ran wildly around the park.
- People shouted wildly at the concert.
- She moved her hands wildly when she told the story.
- He looked wildly around the room for his phone.
- The fans jumped wildly when their team won.
adverb
B2
property
2
extremely; to a great extent
Used like "very" or "extremely" to show a strong degree of something.
Usage pattern:
wildly [adjective/adverb]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes overuse "wildly" where a more neutral word like "very" or "really" is better, making their speech sound too dramatic. Also, they may put "wildly" in the wrong place, saying *"wildly is popular"* instead of the correct *"is wildly popular"*.
Synonyms
extremely (Neutral intensifier; often slightly less emotional or vivid than "wildly.")
|
incredibly (Very common and informal; can sound more informal and conversational than "wildly.")
|
remarkably (Sounds a bit more formal or careful; less dramatic than "wildly.")
Antonyms
slightly (Indicates a small degree, the opposite of the strong intensity in "wildly.")
|
moderately (Shows a controlled, middle level of degree, contrasting with the strong intensity of "wildly.")
Collocations
wildly popular
|wildly successful
|wildly different
|wildly inappropriate
|wildly exaggerated
|wildly ambitious
Themes
evaluation
|emotions
|culture
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- The show became wildly popular after it was released on a streaming service.
- Her new book was wildly successful and sold out in a week.
- Our ideas about the project were wildly different from theirs.
- His comments at the meeting were wildly inappropriate.
- Analysts say the company’s growth was wildly impressive last year.
Learner examples
- The movie is wildly popular with teenagers.
- Her first song was wildly successful.
- Their prices are wildly different from ours.
- That joke was wildly inappropriate at work.
- The plan is wildly ambitious for a small team.
adverb
C1
property
3
far from realistic or accurate
In a way that is not close to the truth or to real life; much too high, low, or hopeful to be realistic.
Usage pattern:
wildly [adjective] (about realism/accuracy)
Common mistake:
Learners may mix this sense with the general intensifier sense and use it where there is no idea of being unrealistic, for example *"wildly tired"*, which sounds odd. This sense is usually used with words about truth or possibility, like "unrealistic", "optimistic", "inaccurate", or "off the mark".
Synonyms
grossly (Strongly emphasizes that something is very wrong or inaccurate; often more formal than "wildly.")
|
absurdly (Adds a sense that something is almost ridiculous in how unrealistic it is.)
Antonyms
roughly (When used with estimates, suggests an approximate but not wildly wrong value.)
|
reasonably (Shows that something is fairly realistic or sensible, not far from reality.)
Collocations
wildly unrealistic
|wildly optimistic
|wildly inaccurate
|wildly overestimate
|wildly off the mark
Themes
evaluation
|science
|business
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Their sales forecast turned out to be wildly unrealistic.
- Early estimates of the damage were wildly inaccurate.
- The plan seems wildly optimistic given our limited budget.
- His guess about the cost was wildly off the mark.
- Critics called the report wildly misleading and unscientific.
Learner examples
- The idea of finishing today is wildly unrealistic.
- Your guess is wildly inaccurate.
- Their hopes for quick success are wildly optimistic.
- Those numbers are wildly off the mark.
- The report is wildly wrong about the facts.
Grammar
Expressions
wildly ambitious
1/wˈaɪldli æmbˈɪʃəs/
fixed phrase
extremely ambitious
Having very big or difficult goals, maybe too big to be realistic.
Examples
- It’s a wildly ambitious project for such a small team.
- Their plan to expand to ten countries in one year is wildly ambitious.
- The film has a wildly ambitious story that spans several decades.
wildly different
1/wˈaɪldli dˈɪfɹənt/
fixed phrase
extremely different
Very, very different from each other; not similar at all.
Examples
- Our results were wildly different from the results in the earlier study.
- Their opinions on the film were wildly different.
- Prices for the same phone can be wildly different in each country.
wildly exaggerated
1/wˈaɪldli ɪɡzˈæd͡ʒɚˌeɪtɪd/
fixed phrase
extremely overstated
Made to sound much bigger, worse, or better than it really is.
Examples
- The story about the fight was wildly exaggerated.
- Reports of the company’s problems were wildly exaggerated.
- His claims about his past success are wildly exaggerated.
wildly inappropriate
1/wˈaɪldli ˌɪnəpɹˈoʊpɹiɪt/
fixed phrase
extremely unsuitable or improper
Very, very wrong or not suitable for the situation, often shocking or offensive.
Examples
- His joke was wildly inappropriate for a work meeting.
- That comment was wildly inappropriate in front of children.
- Wearing jeans to that formal event would be wildly inappropriate.
wildly out of control
1/wˈaɪldli ˈaʊt əv kəntɹˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
completely without control
Very, very out of control; not managed at all.
Examples
- The party became wildly out of control after midnight.
- Prices are now wildly out of control in that region.
- The situation grew wildly out of control before the police arrived.
wildly popular
1/wˈaɪldli pˈɑpjəlɚ/
fixed phrase
extremely popular
Very, very popular; liked by a very large number of people.
Examples
- The video game became wildly popular just a few days after its release.
- This singer is wildly popular among young listeners around the world.
- The new app is wildly popular because it is easy to use.
wildly successful
1/wˈaɪldli səksˈɛsfəl/
fixed phrase
extremely successful
Very, very successful; much more successful than normal or than expected.
Examples
- Her first novel was wildly successful and won several awards.
- The company’s new product launch was wildly successful.
- Their small café became wildly successful after a food blog wrote about it.
wildly unrealistic
1/wˈaɪldli ʌnɹˌilˈɪstɪk/
fixed phrase
extremely unrealistic
Very, very unrealistic; almost impossible or not close to real life.
Examples
- Their expectations of finishing in one week are wildly unrealistic.
- The movie’s plot is fun but wildly unrealistic.
- The budget numbers you suggested are wildly unrealistic.
wildly inaccurate
1/wˈaɪldli ɪnˈækjɚɪt/
fixed phrase
extremely inaccurate or wrong
Very, very wrong; far from the correct number, fact, or description.
Examples
- Many of the figures in the report were wildly inaccurate.
- His description of the event is wildly inaccurate.
- Early news about the election results turned out to be wildly inaccurate.
wildly inaccurate
2/wˈaɪldli ɪnˈækjɚɪt/
fixed phrase
Very far from being correct or precise
Very wrong or not close to the truth at all.
Examples
- The rumor was wildly inaccurate.
- Predictions about the election results turned out to be wildly inaccurate.
wildly optimistic
1/wˈaɪldli ˌɑptɪmˈɪstɪk/
fixed phrase
unrealistically hopeful
Very, very hopeful in a way that is probably not realistic.
Examples
- Expecting to double our sales in one month is wildly optimistic.
- Some analysts say the government’s growth forecast is wildly optimistic.
- Her timeline for finishing the project seems wildly optimistic.
wildly optimistic
2/wˈaɪldli ˌɑptɪmˈɪstɪk/
fixed phrase
extremely, unrealistically hopeful
Very, very hopeful in a way that is almost certainly not true or possible.
Examples
- The idea that we can finish this huge project in two days is wildly optimistic.
- Critics called the government’s growth targets wildly optimistic.