Refers to agricultural land or open fields. Often used in compounds or literary contexts.
You can see farmers working in the fields.
stray; ownerless
Used as a prefix for animals without an owner, especially dogs and cats. Common in 野良犬, 野良猫.
There are many stray cats in the park.
random player; stranger
Internet slang used in online multiplayer games to refer to a player you don't know, as opposed to a friend. Often used in phrases like 野良プレイ (playing with randoms).
I went out to the fields early in the morning to tend the crops.
Please do not feed the stray dogs.
I'd rather play with friends than team up with randoms.
Since I didn't have friends online, I played with random strangers.
野原 is an open meadow or field not necessarily used for farming, while 野良 specifically implies agricultural land tied to farm work.
Standard kanji spelling. 良 is ateji (phonetic).
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the prefix sense.
Originally referred to fields or countryside. The 'stray' meaning developed from the idea of animals living in the wild without an owner. The ateji 良 is used phonetically.