Meaning & use

Wilde

proper noun·Advanced

Surname of Oscar Wilde, the Irish writer and playwright famous for his wit and works like The Importance of Being Earnest.

See it in a sentence

Students in the drama class performed a scene from a well-known play by Wilde.

Wilde was celebrated for epigrams that mixed sharp humor with genuine social criticism.

A note on using this word

Wilde is used almost exclusively to refer to Oscar Wilde in literary and cultural discussion, distinguishing him from the common adjective wild.

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