1. (

• wilderness

) (politics) a state of disfavor; "he led the Democratic party back from the wilderness" ;

2. (

• Wilderness

) a wooded region in northeastern Virginia near Spotsylvania where bloody but inconclusive battles were fought in the American Civil War ;

3. (

• wilderness ,
• wild

) a wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition; "it was a wilderness preserved for the hawks and mountaineers" ;

4. (

• wilderness

) a bewildering profusion; "the duties of citizenship are lost sight of in the wilderness of interests of individuals and groups"; "a wilderness of masts in the harbor" ;