wilderness

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wil·der·ness / ˈwildərnis/ • n. [usu. in sing.] an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region. ∎  a neglected or abandoned area of a garden or town. ∎ fig. a position of disfavor, esp. in a political context: the man who led the Green Party out of the wilderness | [as adj.] his wilderness years. PHRASES: a voice in the wilderness an unheeded advocate of reform (see Matt. 3:3, etc.)

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