FERAL

feral, ferine, savage

(adjective) wild and menacing; “a pack of feral dogs”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

feral (comparative more feral, superlative most feral)

Wild, untamed, especially of domesticated animals having returned to the wild.

(of a person) Contemptible, unruly, misbehaved.

Noun

feral (plural ferals)

A domesticated animal that has returned to the wild; an animal, particularly a domesticated animal, living independently of humans.

(Australia, colloquial) A contemptible young person, a lout, a person who behaves wildly.

(Australia, colloquial) A person who has isolated themselves from the outside world; one living an alternative lifestyle.

(furry subculture) A character in furry art or literature which has the physical characteristics (body) of a regular animal (typically quadripedal), that may or may not be able to communicate with humans or anthros (contrasts anthro)

Usage notes

• Feral in the furry-related sense can refer to both regular animals as well as characters which have the bodies of regular animals but the intelligence of a human. Intelligent feral characters are often depicted as speaking with other characters, but may only be able to speak with other ferals and not humans or anthros due to a language barrier.