Meaning & use
wildcard person
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
Someone whose role or value is unpredictable, so they can either help or cause problems in a situation.
Grammar: Countable: use a wildcard person, two wildcard people; the plural is usually wildcard people, not wildcard persons.
Patterns
- a wildcard person in something
- be a wildcard person
The new manager is a wildcard person: nobody knows whether she will support the plan or cancel it.
In a negotiation, having a wildcard person on your side can change everything.
We thought the meeting was settled, but a wildcard person raised an objection at the end.
nouncountablesport
Someone allowed to take part in a competition or group even though they did not qualify in the usual way.
Grammar: Countable and usually followed by in: a wildcard person in the tournament.
Patterns
- a wildcard person in a competition
- enter as a wildcard person
The organizers added a wildcard person to the final round to keep the event interesting.
She entered the tournament as a wildcard person after the original player withdrew.
A wildcard person can sometimes beat the top players because no one has studied their style.
nouncountablecomputingfigurative
In computing, a character or symbol that can stand for any other character; informally, a person who acts like such a symbol.
Grammar: Countable; in this technical use it often appears as wildcard character, but wildcard person is used figuratively for a human.
Patterns
- act as a wildcard person
- a wildcard person for something
In the search box, the asterisk is a wildcard character; in the team, Sam is the wildcard person who can fill any role.
The system treats the question mark as a wildcard, and the team treats Priya as a wildcard person who handles unexpected tasks.
Think of him as a wildcard person in the workflow: he can take over any job when someone is absent.
Word forms
| plural | wildcard people |
|---|---|
| plural | wildcard persons |
Common combinations
- a wildcard person in the group
- Every team needs a wildcard person in the group who can surprise the others.
- play the wildcard person
- The coach decided to play the wildcard person in the second half.
- a real wildcard person
- He is a real wildcard person; you never know what he will say.
- add a wildcard person
- They decided to add a wildcard person to the panel for a fresh view.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unknown quantity
- This phrase is more common in business and formal writing when you mean someone whose behavior cannot be predicted.
- dark horse
- Use dark horse especially for a competitor who is not well known but may win; wildcard person is broader and can be negative.
- joker
- Joker suggests someone who is playful or unreliable; wildcard person is more neutral about unpredictability.
Opposites
Word family
- wildcard noun
- The basic term for a symbol or person that can represent anything.
- wildcard entry noun
- A place in a competition given to someone who did not qualify normally.
Commonly confused: wildcard person or wild card? wildcard person or wildcat?
wildcard person vs wild card
Wild card is the older two-word spelling; wildcard is now more common, especially in computing.
wildcard person vs wildcat
A wildcat is a type of cat or an illegal business; it is not the same as a wildcard person.
Practice
The new advisor is a ______ person: she may support us or oppose us, and nobody can tell which.
Choose one answer.
Wildcard fits because it describes someone unpredictable. Wildcat means a wild cat or an illegal operation, wilderness is a natural area, and wildlife refers to animals, so none of them describe a person's unpredictable role.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wildcard person”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.