Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
wry [rahy] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin adjective, wri·er, wri·est.
- produced by a distortion or lopsidedness of the facial features: a wry grin.
- abnormally bent or turned to one side; twisted; crooked: a wry mouth.
- devious in course or purpose; misdirected.
- contrary; perverse.
- distorted or perverted, as in meaning.
- bitterly or disdainfully ironic or amusing: a wry remark.
Origin of wry 1515–25; adj. use of wry to twist, Middle English wryen, Old English wrīgian to go, strive, tend, swerve; cognate with Dutch wrijgen to twist; akin to Old English wrigels, Latin rīcula veil, Greek rhoikós crookedRelated formswry·ly, adverbwry·ness, nounSynonyms for wry 2. awry, askew.Antonyms for wry 2. straight. Examples from the Web for wryly Contemporary Examples of wryly
He was friendly, a little nervous, getting over a cold, and wryly funny.
Dan Stevens Blows Up ‘Downton’: From Chubby-Cheeked Aristo to Lean, Mean American Psycho
Tim Teeman
September 19, 2014
In response to a question about Hostess going out of business, Christie wryly refused to answer.
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November 24, 2012
“I keep saying, ‘This is just my story,’” Alford says wryly.
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February 10, 2012
He noted, wryly, “Ironically, no one said word one about Carson Kressley—openly gay.”
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Tricia Romano
January 17, 2012
Jennifer wryly notes that “to some extent every little girl sees Daddy as Cary Grant.”
Remembering My Father, Cary Grant
Malcolm Jones
May 3, 2011
Historical Examples of wryly
“Yes, and without many other pleasant things,” said I, wryly and decidedly.
Jessie Fothergill
Peter MacDonald said wryly, “We, too, were pressured into such a step.”
Dallas McCord Reynolds
“And a desire for more trank to keep the mood going,” Joe said wryly.
Dallas McCord Reynolds
“On this island you can’t get away from the phone,” he said wryly.
J. F. Bone
“I was looking forward to—not worrying for a while,” he said wryly.
Murray Leinster
British Dictionary definitions for wryly wry adjective wrier, wriest, wryer or wryest
- twisted, contorted, or askew
- (of a facial expression) produced or characterized by contorting of the features, usually indicating dislike
- drily humorous; sardonic
- warped, misdirected, or perverse
- (of words, thoughts, etc) unsuitable or wrong
verb wries, wrying or wried
- (tr) to twist or contort
Derived Formswryly, adverbwryness, nounWord Origin for wry C16: from dialect wry to twist, from Old English wrīgian to turn; related to Old Frisian wrīgia to bend, Old Norse riga to move, Middle Low German wrīch bent, stubborn Word Origin and History for wryly adv.
wry adj.
1520s, “distorted, somewhat twisted,” from obsolete verb wry “to contort, to twist or turn,” from Old English wrigian “to turn, bend, move, go,” from Proto-Germanic *wrig- (cf. Old Frisian wrigia “to bend,” Middle Low German wrich “turned, twisted”), from PIE *wreik- “to turn” (cf. Greek rhoikos “crooked,” Lithuanian raisas “paralysed”), from root *wer- (3) “to turn, bend” (see versus). Of words, thoughts, etc., from 1590s. The original sense is preserved in awry.